All Whanau Manaaki kindergartens to operate year-round under new proposal

A free kindergarten association plans to make all of its kindergartens open year-round from the beginning of 2026, the Office of Early Childhood Education understands.

Multiple sources have told the OECE that the association’s management team has informed teachers employed by the kindergarten association, one of the largest ECE service providers in New Zealand, of the proposal, but parents and families have not yet been told.

The move to year-round care and education may prove popular with parents in paid employment.

No public announcements have been made yet, so the OECE has chosen not to name the kindergarten association at this stage.

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