Speeches

Teachers Matter In Early Childhood Education

In her speech to the ECC Annual Conference 2008, CEO Sue Thorne warned that workforce pressures – particularly teacher shortages – are the biggest challenge facing the early childhood sector. In her keynote address to the 685 delegates at the country’s largest annual conference for early childhood professionals, Mrs Thorne said that “how we deal with this challenge will determine the future of early childhood education in this election year and beyond. New Zealand has to address the workforce issues in our sector as a matter of urgency. If we don’t, educational quality and participation will suffer.” For the full speech click here: 03/05/08  more >

Speech To The Early Childhood Council End Of Year Function

This record contains the speech given by ECC CEO Sue Thorne at the ECC's end of year cocktail function, held in Wellington on November 14. The event was attended by ECC staff and Executive members, Members of Parliament, government officials, and colleagues from the education, policy, business and ECE sectors. 15/11/07  more >

Minister Addresses Early Childhood Council Conference Delegates

Hon. Steve Maharey, Minister of Education, addressed the delegates at the Early Childhood Council Annual Conference 2007 on Saturday 31 March. The Minister's speech covered many current issues in the ECE sector, including increasing particpation, high quality services and the upcoming 20 Hours Free Policy.This record contains the full copy of the speech. 03/04/07  more >

Getting It Right: A Regulatory And Funding Framework That Is Right For Children And Families

On the first day of the Early Childhood Council's Annual Conference 2007, the ECC's CEO, Sue Thorne, addressed the delegates on the topic of regulatory and funding frameworks in ECE. Her speech praised the Fourth Labour Government's 1989 Before 5 Reforms, which allowed a strong and diverse ECE sector to come into being. Mrs Thorne then raised serious concerns about how the latest 20 free hours ECE policy will affect this sector. This record contains the full text of her speech. 30/03/07  more >

A Milestone Year For The ECC

On Wednesday 15 November, the Early Childhood Council held an end of year cocktail function in Wellington. The function was attended by Members of Parliament, government officials, and representatives of the early childhood education and business sectors. ECC CEO Sue Thorne welcomed the guests and spoke to them about the challenges and achievements of 2006. This article contains the full text of Sue Thorne's speech. 17/11/06  more >

Through The Looking Glass

In a speech to delegates at the Early Childhood Council Annual Conference in Rotorua on Sunday 30 April 2006, Chief Executive of the Council, Sue Thorne outlined concerns that section 317 of the Education Amendment Bill will:
• Lead to the creation of thousand of micro-rules ('criteria');
• Create these rules beyond the powers of the Regulations Review Committee to act as a political check;
• See the Ministry of Education spending the next six years reregistering every early childhood centre in New Zealand on the basis of these rules;
• See the same set of detailed micro-rules applied in the same way to centres as different as Kohanga Reo, Pacific Island language nests, Steiner centres and kindergartens - thus damaging seriously the unique characteristics of such centres.
• Therefore reducing substantially the ability of New Zealand parents to find a style of childcare that reflects their unique family values. 01/05/06  more >

Opening Speech From 2003 Conference

ECC President Ross Penman delivered a hard hitting speech at the opening of the ECC Conference in Christchurch on the 3 April 2003 which challenged the thinking of the politicians, the policy makers and the centre owners, managers and staff atending the conference. Click on this record for more details. 18/03/03  more >

Economics And ECE - Conference Speech

Does economics have anything to say about early childhood education policy in NZ? Norman LaRocque, Policy Advisor with the NZ Business Roundtable and advisor to the Education Forum presented this paper at the ECC Annual Conference in Christchurch in April 2003. 18/03/03  more >

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