ANALYSIS/OPINION – June 26, 2025.
The Government spent 13% more on funding early childhood education last year than in 2023, but three out of the top four not-for-profit provider groups got a smaller portion of the pie.
The two largest privately-operated provider groups – BestStart and Busy Bees – received slightly more funding (proportionately) year-on-year.
New Shoots Children’s Centres had the highest amount of funding per individual service in the group ($31.26M for 16 services, or just under $2M per service).
Whānau Manaaki (Wellington) Kindergarten Association, Auckland Kindergarten Association and Central Kids Kindergarten Trust (Waikato/Bay of Plenty) all got smaller proportions of funding than they did over the previous 12 months.
(See charts and tables below for more details.)
