Given the upcoming general election Te Rito Maioha Early Childhood New Zealand (ECNZ) has shared its views on early childhood education in Aotearoa New Zealand with the current Education Ministers and spokespeople of the various parties.
ECNZ is committed to high quality, teacher-led ECE, which is crucial to giving tamariki the best start to their life-long learning journey. We are Aotearoa New Zealand’s leading provider of knowledge, fresh thinking and best practice for early childhood care and education. We are strong advocates in developing and increasing te reo Māori and te ao Māori pedagogies within early childhood education both in initial teacher education and within early childhood services.
For the past 50+ years we have lobbied for and worked with successive governments to bring about much needed improvements for the early learning sector. We currently advocate:
- Recognition of all ECE teachers as equals alongside kindergarten, primary and secondary teachers, with the provision of pay parity and other working conditions immediately.
- Preservation of the recently announced reintroduction of funding for centres with 100% qualified teachers.
- Restoration of government funding to ECE services that accounts for inflation since 2010.
- Reduction of the ratio of centre-based teachers to tamariki under two to 1:4 (on the way to 1:3) – babies need highly responsive education and care for their development.
- Recognition of ECE in the Education and Workforce Strategy as part of the education system in Aotearoa New Zealand.
- Investment in professional learning and development for ECE leaders and teachers.
- Legislative changes to ensure commitments in the Early Learning Action Plan are expedited sooner rather than later.
For further information please see our full briefing paper here.