A Giant Muddle: What Officials Are Not Explaining About the Transfer of ECE to the Education Review Office
The Government is pushing ahead with a proposal to shift ECE regulatory functions and the new Director of Regulation role from the Ministry of Education…
ECE Sector Shows Stability as Service Openings and Closures Balance Out
New figures show the early childhood education sector remained largely stable over the past year, with the number of teacher-led centres opening matching those that…
Waiting Times For Children to Get Into Early Childhood Education Fall Across All Service Types
Waiting times for early childhood education have dropped across the country, with new figures showing families are generally getting faster access to services than they…
New Early Childhood Service Openings Surge – But What Does This Growth Really Mean
New ECE services are opening at pace across Aotearoa - but the story behind the growth is far more complex than the headline suggests. Login…
ECE Licensing Reforms Take Effect, but Experts See No Real Improvement
New licensing criteria for early childhood education (ECE) services have now taken effect. Sector experts say the update is a missed opportunity to improve safety…
ECE Safety and Standards Enforcement Drops Sharply
New data shows a dramatic decline in regulatory action against early childhood education services.
Lowest Number of ECE Service Closures in Recent Years
The ECE sector has delivered an unexpected bright spot in an otherwise difficult year for New Zealand businesses. Across the country, 2025 recorded the highest…
The 13 Big Changes the Government Has Made to ECE
The National-Act-NZ First Coalition Government took office in November 2023. Erica Stanford became Minister of Education. In early 2024, David Seymour was given the early…
ECE Provider Shut Down, Owing More Than $1 Million and Holding Five Vehicles Including a 2025 Jeep Grand Cherokee
A group of three early childhood centres operating under the Happy Sprouts Educare brand has gone into liquidation following licence withdrawals and significant debts, according…
Reports of Children Overheating Expose Regulatory Gap in Heat‑Safety Protections in ECE
Children in early childhood education services have no legal protection against exposure to excessive heat, even though minimum indoor temperatures have long been regulated. Current…
ECE Deserts: Limited Choice of Early Childhood Services for Families in Many Parts of Aotearoa
In some New Zealand towns families have just one option for full day early childhood education care for under 2-year-olds, while in other parts of…
2025 in review: News (and views) on ECE over the past year
Here, we sum up the major stories we’ve covered in the past year. If we had to sum up what 2025 had in store for…
