Early childhood education (ECE) was never meant to feel like an audit. Yet for many leaders and kaiako, the rhythm of the day is shaped by documentation rather than by children. Attendance records, audits, and endless policy updates consume hours that could be spent in connection and reflection.
The ECE Funding Review (MAG 2025) can change this story by shifting compliance from volume to value. The Ministry of Education’s (2024) Regulatory Review of Early Childhood Education confirms that administrative tasks have increased faster than quality gains. If we are serious about safety, wellbeing, and equity, we must fund time for practice, not paperwork.
If it does not make children safer, it should not make kaiako busier.
1 - Engage: Why the System Feels Heavy
Every regulation started with good intent: to ensure accountability, safety, and trust. But over time, layers of documentation have multiplied without clear evaluation of their impact. According to OECD (2021), over-regulated ECE systems risk focusing more on proving quality than on practising it.
Leaders report spending more than 25% of their administrative hours meeting compliance obligations (Ministry of Education, 2024). This is time pulled away from mentoring, relationship building, and observation, the core activities that prevent harm.
Compliance was meant to protect; it should not replace connection.
2 - Enable: Designing Compliance That Protects
Regulation and protection are not the same thing. Smart compliance is risk-based, digital, and relational. The Funding Review can enable this by:
- Funding technology that automates attendance, ratio tracking, and policy updates.
- Embedding safeguarding outcomes as the measure of compliance success.
- Funding release time for reflective supervision and PLD.
When compliance measures safety outcomes instead of form completion, it reinforces trust and accountability.
3 - Empower: Linking Regulation and Reporting
Accountability across agencies remains fragmented. The Teaching Council of Aotearoa NZ (2024) governs professional conduct and competence, while Oranga Tamariki (1989, updated 2024) manages child-protection concerns under Section 15 of the Oranga Tamariki Act. The current duplication of reports and inconsistent thresholds adds unnecessary administrative strain.
The Funding Review should support the creation of a unified, digital reporting framework that connects Teaching Council, Oranga Tamariki, and Ministry of Education systems. Shared data standards could reduce duplication, improve accuracy, and speed up intervention.
Compliance should clarify duty, not complicate it.
4 - Evolve: From Forms to Frameworks
ECE leaders are experts in relationships, not bureaucracy. When compliance consumes leadership capacity, supervision and coaching suffer. Harvard’s Center on the Developing Child (2016) shows that adult stress affects a child’s sense of safety and belonging. Overloaded leaders cannot model calm, reflective practice.
A rebalanced compliance model would include:
- Risk-based audits instead of blanket reviews.
- Funded leadership release for reflection and mentoring.
- Evaluation of compliance impact using child-safety indicators.
When compliance becomes evidence-informed and time-returning, leaders reclaim their purpose and educators regain joy in their work.
Closing Reflection
ECE leadership should be about people, not paperwork. The Funding Review is the opportunity to replace redundant systems with frameworks that free time for connection, care, and culture. Smart compliance protects; over-compliance depletes.
We can measure safety without smothering practice.
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Reflection Prompts
- Which compliance tasks in your service add genuine value to safety or quality?
- Where could technology reduce administrative load without losing accountability?
- How might unified reporting change your team’s daily rhythm?
Inline References
- Ministry of Education (2025). ECE Funding Review (MAG 2025). education.govt.nz.
- Ministry of Education (2024). Regulatory Review of Early Childhood Education. education.govt.nz.
- OECD (2021). Starting Strong VI: Supporting Meaningful Access and Quality in ECEC. oecd.org.
- Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand (2024). Our Code, Our Standards; Education and Training Act 2020. teachingcouncil.nz.
- Oranga Tamariki (1989, updated 2024). Oranga Tamariki Act, Section 15: Reporting Concerns. orangatamariki.govt.nz.
- Harvard Center on the Developing Child (2016). From Best Practices to Breakthrough Impacts. developingchild.harvard.edu.