Early Learning Support Welcomed!

23 May 2025

Budget 2025 has delivered a much needed $646 million boost for learning support.

Schools and Early Childhood Education (ECE) have been pleading for increased support for tamariki and young people with conditions affecting their learning for years,” says Kathy Wolfe, CE Te Rito Maioha. “So it’s extremely pleasing to see the Minister listening and investing in initial support.”

“The Budget funding will provide an additional 2 million teacher aide hours per year by 2028 for schools. “This will be a welcome development, provided that school operating budgets remain intact, as these are frequently the source principals draw upon to fund the employment of teacher aides.”

“It’s exciting to see that Budget 2025 includes $266 million to extend the Early Intervention Service so Year 1 students can access a range of supports such as speech language therapists and psychologists. The service currently stops when a child turns five. The new funding will provide a pathway for support to follow a child from an ECE centre into primary school and provide a seamless and far less stressful experience for tamariki and their whānau.”

“This is a critically important development. Previously, support approved for a child in an ECE setting would lapse upon their transition to primary school, requiring a new application. Given the numerous challenges already associated with starting school, removing the need to navigate a complex funding system at this stage is both sensible and beneficial.”

“The Education Minister deserves significant recognition for engaging with the sector. We are hopeful that this investment signals the beginning of a sustained effort to address the longstanding underfunding of additional support, an issue that teachers in both ECE and Primary have been urgently calling to be resolved,” says Mrs Wolfe.

Media Contact

Rob McCann - Lead Communications Advisor | Kaitohutohu Whakapā Matua
022 411 4560
rob.mccann@ecnz.ac.nz