ECE Funding Review

The ECE Funding Review was announced on 17 June 2025 by the Associate Minister of Education, Hon David Seymour. Its purpose is to ensure that the funding system for early childhood education in Aotearoa New Zealand is simple, fair and delivers for children and families.

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About the ECE Funding Review

The ECE Funding Review aims to evaluate and enhance the current funding mechanisms for early childhood education in New Zealand. The primary goal is to ensure that funding is equitable, transparent, and effectively supports high-quality education for all young children. This review is a crucial step towards strengthening our ECE sector, aligning resources with the needs of children, families, and educators, and fostering an environment where every child can thrive.

Read the press release from Associate Minister of Education Hon David Seymour: Modernising Early Childhood Education funding.

The Ministerial Advisory Group (MAG)

To guide this important review, a Ministerial Advisory Group was established on 19 June 2025. This group comprises of independent experts and stakeholders from across the ECE community. Their collective expertise and diverse perspectives will ensure that the review considers the many challenges and opportunities within the sector. The MAG will undertake public consultation and plays a pivotal role in shaping recommendations that will inform the future direction of ECE funding.

The MAG will submit a final report, in September 2026, with fiscally neutral recommendations for redesigning the ECE funding system. The Associate Minister of Education will then make any decisions about possible next steps.

More information

ECC Funding Review Steering Group (FR-SG)

The ECC Funding Review Steering Group (FR-SG) has been established to provide the Ministerial Advisory Group (MAG) with sector insights and feedback throughout the funding review process. Its role is to develop recommendations for a fairer and more sustainable funding system for private and community-owned early childhood education (ECE) services.

Steering Group Members

Following a rigorous appointment process, the FR-SG now comprises ten members who bring a wealth of expertise in financial management, leadership, and sector experience. ECC received 17 expressions of interest, from which ten top-ranked candidates were appointed based on their skills, experience, and ability to represent ECC’s diverse membership. The selection process emphasized financial expertise, leadership capability, and representation across service types, including community-based services, large groups, single operators, and culturally diverse providers. This diversity ensures that the Steering Group’s recommendations will reflect the realities of different ECE service models.

We are delighted to introduce the members of the FR-SG:

Lonnie Parker (ECC Life Member)
Lindsay Jones (Kindercare)
Todd Painter (Borman Village Kids)
Ross Moffatt (R&D Education)
Paul Blair (Magic Garden Early Education)
Evan James (Eskdale Treehouse)
Kaye Taylor (He Puna Marama)
Manjot Juneja (Kids World)
Rebecca Scott (Nature’s Cove)
Mary McLeod (Kids Count)

What to Expect

ECC plans to make a Funding Review submission before Christmas this year and again next year during the public consultation phase. The Steering Group will act as a sounding board for our advice and enable our membership to actively participate. We intend to organise online meetings, including at least one meeting open to all members to discuss our draft submission approach.

Get Involved

We invite our members and other sector stakeholders to engage with the ECE Funding Review process. Your insights and experiences are essential in shaping a funding system that meets the needs of our children and supports the staff and service providers.

There will be opportunities led by the MAG as well as ECC's Steering Group (members only), for more information and to stay updated on the progress check this page regularly and make sure you are subscribed to our Swings & Roundabouts newsletter.