It has been more than three decades since Aotearoa last overhauled how early childhood education (ECE) is funded. The Meade Report and Before Five reforms of 1988–1989 transformed the landscape by introducing bulk funding and national accountability. Since then, incremental changes like the 2007 “20 Hours Free ECE” policy have patched rather than redesigned the system. According to the Ministry of Education (2025), this year’s review will be the first comprehensive structural rethink in a generation.
The ECE Funding Review (MAG 2025) offers a rare opportunity to realign funding with the realities of today: workforce wellbeing, cultural inclusion, child protection, and affordability. Funding is not just a technical lever; it is a moral one. It tells a story about what we value most.
If it does not make children safer, it must be redesigned or removed.
- Funding as a Reflection of Values
Funding signals priorities. When dollars flow to attendance data and audit cycles rather than protective practice and time for reflection, it tells educators that paperwork matters more than presence. As OECD (2021) research in Starting Strong VI notes, process quality, the daily interactions and relationships, is what drives long-term outcomes, not participation alone.
In Aotearoa, the current system reflects past priorities: compliance and efficiency. The new model must reflect the future: trust, wellbeing, and protection.
1 - The Interplay of Workforce, Access, and Safety
How funding flows determines who can teach, who stays, and how safely children are held. Wages, ratios, and registration are inseparable. The Teaching Council of Aotearoa NZ (2024) notes that professional care and time for reflection are ethical obligations under Our Code, Our Standards, yet these are often unfunded expectations.
The review must connect workforce sustainability to child protection by embedding funded reflection, supervision, and leadership mentoring as non-negotiable quality costs.
2 - Affordability and Access
Affordability is the difference between choice and exclusion. Education Counts (2023) shows that families in high-deprivation areas are less likely to sustain ECE participation due to fees, transport, and inconsistent hours. Affordability therefore becomes a protection issue: children in vulnerable circumstances lose continuity when costs rise.
Funding reform can close this gap by indexing fees to regional cost pressures and weighting funding for community need.
3 - Participation and Protection Together
Participation metrics tell us who attends, but not who is safe. Oranga Tamariki (2024) reminds us that universal attendance does not equal universal protection. The 2025 model must embed mandatory safeguarding qualifications and reporting pathways across all adults in ECE, a baseline that aligns with Our Code, Our Standards (Teaching Council, 2024) and Section 15 of the Oranga Tamariki Act (1989).
Child protection and participation are not competing goals; they are twin pillars of trust.
4 - Looking Ahead: A Compass for Change
The ECE Funding Review can rebalance the system by funding what matters most:
- Safety: Baseline safeguarding training for all adults.
- Equity: Weighted funding for deprivation, rurality, and diversity.
- Sustainability: Pay parity, release time, and leadership support.
- Data: Protective indicators alongside participation.
In one decade, success will look like a stable workforce, reduced administrative time, and an ecosystem where funding fuels fairness and protection.
Funding is not just an economic act; it is a declaration of values.
Reflection Prompts
- What story does our current funding model tell about what we value?
- How can funding better reflect protection, wellbeing, and workforce sustainability?
- What does “funding as philosophy” mean for your service or region?
Inline References
- Ministry of Education (2025). ECE Funding Review (MAG 2025). 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: The Code of Professional Responsibility and Standards for the Teaching Profession. teachingcouncil.nz.
- Oranga Tamariki (1989, updated 2024). Oranga Tamariki Act, Section 15: Reporting Concerns. orangatamariki.govt.nz.
- Education Counts (2023). ECE Participation Data and Programme Evaluation. educationcounts.govt.nz.