Protection begins with partnership. When decision-making is shared between government, iwi, and community, accountability becomes collective rather than hierarchical. The ECE Funding Review (MAG 2025) is the opportunity to align early childhood education (ECE) policy with Te Tiriti o Waitangi’s core principles of partnership, participation, and protection.
For decades, ECE has spoken of inclusion and collaboration, yet many key funding and regulatory decisions remain centralised. To rebuild trust and relevance, the sector must move from consultation to co-design, and from feedback to shared authority.
When power is shared, protection is strengthened.
1 - Engage: Honouring Te Tiriti in Practice
Engagement begins with acknowledgment. Te Tiriti o Waitangi is not an add-on; it is the constitutional foundation for education in Aotearoa. Partnership means Māori are co-designers, not consultees, in the development of funding frameworks, licensing, and workforce standards. The Ministry of Education (2025) and the Teaching Council of Aotearoa NZ (2024) both affirm that bicultural leadership must sit at the centre of quality practice.
Funding policy should therefore include Māori representation at every stage of decision-making, from advisory groups to review governance. This ensures accountability not only to outcomes but to relationships.
2 - Enable: Co-Design and Shared Governance
Community partnership is achieved through shared tables, not surveys. Boards, governing bodies, and advisory panels should reflect the diversity of the communities they serve. When whānau and iwi voices are included in governance, policy becomes grounded in lived experience rather than abstract metrics.
The Funding Review could introduce:
- Co-design governance panels with Māori and community representation.
- Partnership grants supporting iwi-led collaboration on curriculum and safeguarding.
- Localised accountability mechanisms so communities can monitor outcomes in safety and equity.
OECD (2021) notes that systems which decentralise decision-making and empower local leadership see stronger engagement and protection outcomes.
Co-design is not consultation; it is shared creation.
3 - Empower: Shared Accountability for Safety
Protection is everyone’s responsibility, but it functions best when the duty is shared. The Teaching Council (2024) sets professional expectations for ethical practice, and Oranga Tamariki (1989, updated 2024) legislates the right to report safety concerns under Section 15 of the Oranga Tamariki Act. A co-governed system would integrate these obligations into a shared accountability framework across agencies, iwi, and services.
Community voice also strengthens protection by ensuring that safety measures align with cultural contexts and values. Whānau engagement builds trust, and trust enables early reporting, timely intervention, and culturally safe care.
Accountability is strongest when it is held in common.
4 - Evolve: Building Collective Care
Bicultural partnership is not static; it evolves through reciprocity. Communities need time, trust, and resourcing to lead local solutions that reflect their identity. The Ministry of Education’s (2024) Ka Hikitia – Ka Hāpaitia strategy highlights that long-term partnerships improve engagement, wellbeing, and achievement for Māori learners.
Future funding models must therefore provide long-term partnership grants, not one-off projects. When partnership is continuous, it builds resilience into the system itself.
Protection grows strongest in relationships that endure.
Closing Reflection
ECE thrives when communities co-own its purpose. Bicultural partnership and community co-design do more than honour Te Tiriti; they create systems of trust that protect children and empower whānau. The Funding Review is our chance to design protection that is both systemic and relational.
When we design with, not for, we build protection that lasts.
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Reflection Prompts
- How does your governance structure reflect the cultural and community diversity of your whānau?
- Where could decision-making be shared more authentically with Māori and local communities?
- What co-design opportunities could strengthen protection and equity in your region?
Inline References
- Ministry of Education (2025). ECE Funding Review (MAG 2025). education.govt.nz.
- Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand (2024). Our Code, Our Standards. teachingcouncil.nz.
- Ministry of Education (2024). Ka Hikitia – Ka Hāpaitia: The Māori Education Strategy. education.govt.nz.
- Oranga Tamariki (1989, updated 2024). Oranga Tamariki Act, Section 15: Reporting Concerns. orangatamariki.govt.nz.
- OECD (2021). Starting Strong VI: Supporting Meaningful Access and Quality in ECEC. oecd.org.