NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Govt has cut millions off early childhood education: Study

Simon Collins
By Simon Collins
Reporter·NZ Herald·
23 Mar, 2017 12:00 AM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

A new study estimates that the Government has cut $260 million a year off funding for preschool childcare and education since 2010. The study was commissioned by the teachers' union the NZ Educational Institute, which is rallying Wellington preschoolers to present colourful messages at Parliament today asking MPs to pledge to restore the funding that has been cut.

A new study estimates that the Government has cut $260 million a year off funding for preschool childcare and education since 2010.

The study by Infometrics says the money has been cut by axing a higher subsidy rate for preschool centres with 100 per cent trained teachers, and failing to adjust all subsidy rates for inflation.

The study was commissioned by the teachers' union the NZ Educational Institute, which is rallying Wellington preschoolers to present colourful messages at Parliament today asking MPs to pledge to restore the funding that has been cut.

They also want MPs to pledge to reduce teacher/child ratios and restore the former Labour Government's goal of 100 per cent trained teachers in all early childhood services.

Labour education spokesman Chris Hipkins said he would sign all three pledges, although he could not promise to spend an extra $260 million a year immediately.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"The issue is around time frames," he said. "I couldn't make a specific commitment around the rate, but would I be asking for more money for early childhood education? Absolutely!"

The 2010 changes were made in the context of a global financial crisis, a ballooning budget deficit, and a quadrupling of spending on early childhood education from $307m in 2001-02 to $1.2 billion in 2009-10 under Labour's policies of 20 hours a week of free preschooling for 3- and 4-year-olds and higher subsidy rates for centres with more qualified teachers.

The top subsidy rate for centres with 100 per cent qualified teachers was abolished.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Other subsidy rates have been raised only marginally. For example, subsidy rates for all-day teacher-led education and care centres with between 50 and 80 per cent qualified teachers have risen by only 2.7 per cent since July 2010, when education sector wage rates have risen by 8.5 per cent.

Infometrics says the Government would be spending $260 million more each year if it had retained the higher subsidies for centres with 100 per cent qualified teachers, and raised all subsidy rates by 8.5 per cent.

For comparison, the Government is spending $1.8b on early childhood education this year, a sum that has grown, despite restrained subsidy rates, because of parents going back to work sooner after having children and new requirements for parents on welfare to place their children in preschool education from age 3.

An extra $260m a year would raise that spending by 14.2 per cent to $2.1b a year.

Discover more

New Zealand|education

Little: 'Look at ban on unvaccinated kids'

13 Mar 08:15 PM
New Zealand|education

Schools can't teach everything: Parata

19 Apr 07:10 AM
New Zealand|education

Childcare fees rise as teacher crisis hits

26 Aug 05:00 PM

Nelson kindergarten teacher Virginia Oakly, who is leading the children's group at Parliament today, said almost all the higher early childhood spending since 2010 had gone on the quantity of children, rather than the quality of teaching and care.

"All the evidence shows that early childhood education has a powerful, positive impact on a child's entire life, but only if it is of a really high quality," she said.

Education Minister Hekia Parata said funding for ECE had increased each year under the National Government, and had more than doubled in the period since the 2007/2008 financial year to $1.8 billion in the 2016/17 financial year.

"The Government has invested in increasing participation, now at 96.7 per cent and we've expanded the 20 hours ECE policy to all playcentres and kohanga reo, and we have maintained high standards and quality across the sector while supporting the role qualified teachers play in providing this.

"Per-child ECE funding in New Zealand is among the top third in the OECD, and the OECD report that New Zealand had the some of the best ratios of children to teachers in ECE.

"The number of services employing 80 per cent or more qualified teachers has increased - from 91 per cent in 2011 to 97 per cent in 2015."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

Morning quiz: Which female pharaoh is often depicted wearing a false beard?

Premium
Editorial

Editorial: Cost-of-living crisis hits harder in winter

Premium
Politics

Reoffending won’t be publicised during future bootcamps as officials prepare for ‘MSA 2.0′


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

Morning quiz: Which female pharaoh is often depicted wearing a false beard?
New Zealand

Morning quiz: Which female pharaoh is often depicted wearing a false beard?

Test your brains with the Herald's morning quiz.

16 Jul 05:00 PM
Premium
Premium
Editorial: Cost-of-living crisis hits harder in winter
Editorial

Editorial: Cost-of-living crisis hits harder in winter

16 Jul 05:00 PM
Premium
Premium
Reoffending won’t be publicised during future bootcamps as officials prepare for ‘MSA 2.0′
Politics

Reoffending won’t be publicised during future bootcamps as officials prepare for ‘MSA 2.0′

16 Jul 05:00 PM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP