Need-to-know | Me mātua mōhio#
Funding reminders#
Late RS7 submissions
Paper RS7 returns received after 10 February and electronic RS7 returns received after 13 February but before 6 March, will be processed for payment on 20 March. Please remember that this is the last 20th of the month payment run – from July 2026 we will no longer process payments on the 20th.
Resubmissions
Each service is responsible for ensuring the accuracy of the data submitted. Resubmissions are available to correct genuine errors or oversights that emerge.
Resubmissions:
- for the October 2025 to January 2026 period should be made electronically
- for the February 2025 to September 2025 period should be submitted using a paper-based RS7 form.
Resubmissions relating to any time before February 2025 will not be processed. Please make sure that all records are documented and filed for auditing purposes.
RS7 returns following a change of SMS
If you have not been using your new system (SMS or ELI web) for the entire funding period, you can:
- submit the portion of your claim electronically, for the month/s you have been using your new system, and send the paper-based RS7 return for the month/s before you began using this system, or
- submit your entire funding claim using the paper-based RS7 return.
Pay parity opt-in scheme
Higher funding rates are available to education and care and hospital-based services that pay all employed certificated kaiako | teachers at or above the pay parity minimum salary steps.
Funding rates are available at:
ECE Funding Handbook: Appendix 1
The minimum salary scales are available at:
ECE Funding Handbook: Appendix 4
Effective from the July 2025 funding period, there is a two-year moratorium on services that have currently attested to paying permanently employed certificated teachers at parity and extended parity salary scale amounts. This means that services that have attested to paying their certificated teachers at parity and extended parity salary scales amounts will be unable to move to the higher pay parity salary scales during this time. This moratorium will not prevent any service from attesting to lower salary scales during this time.
This change does not affect the requirement for services to progress certificated teachers up the salary scales as they complete the specified hours of work.
Further information relating to the moratorium, and changes made to the pay parity requirements for newly certificated teachers and certificated teachers who are new to the New Zealand early childhood sector, is available at:
1 July 2025–30 June 2027 Changes to the Pay Parity Opt-in Scheme [PDF, 138KB]
If a service has attested in their RS7 return to a pay parity salary scale that the moratorium does not permit, the service will be required to resubmit their RS7 with the correct attestation. If this resubmission is not received in the required timeframe, the funding payment may be delayed.
Changing your service’s minimum salary scale attestation for the advance funding months of the March 2026 funding period
If you want to change your pay parity minimum salary scale attestation for the advance funding months of the March funding round because you intend to pay your certificated teachers a different (higher or lower) parity minimum salary scale from 1 February 2026 (within the moratorium conditions), contact us.
Email: [email protected]
Your changes should be consistent with the employment agreements applying to your teachers.
RS7 returns following a change of ownership
Following a change of ownership, the new owner may submit an electronic RS7 return for the period after the purchase and send a paper-based RS7 for the period prior to the purchase. Alternatively, the new owner can send an entire funding claim using a paper-based RS7 return.
Services that had a change of service provider/ownership are excluded from the moratorium and will be allowed to attest to paying any pay parity minimum salary scale when completing their first RS7 return. After they have selected the minimum salary scale in their first RS7 return the moratorium will apply.
Funding payments are based on your attestation response in your RS7. This records the salary condition services have met during the attestation period/wash-up period (full 4 months). These months cannot be separated.
If a change of ownership occurs around the time of an ECE subsidy payment, processing timeframes may not allow the subsidy payment to be made to the new owner.
Who the payment is made to cannot be changed after the processing end date. Any change of ownership after the process end date will result in the payment being made to the former owner.
If you are considering a change of ownership around an ECE subsidy payment, contact us.
Email: [email protected]
Any split of funding payments should be negotiated between past and present ownership and should be considered in the sale and purchase agreement when the service is sold.
Changes to a service’s attestation of the pay parity salary scale must happen at the beginning of a funding period.
| Funding period | Attestation period |
|---|---|
| March | October to January |
| July | February to May |
| November | June to September |
Accessing your funding notice
Funding contacts will receive an email when your funding information is available in Pourato. We expect this to be a few days before payment on 2 March. If you need tips or information on how to use Pourato, visit:
Pourato for early learning – Applications and Online Systems
Discretionary hours reporting requirements
Teacher-led, centre-based, and hospital-based services could use up to 80 discretionary hours in the October 2025 to January 2026 funding period. A discretionary hour is an hour that a service can claim an unqualified teacher as a certificated teacher for the staff hour count.
- If your service used discretionary hours during the current funding period, you must submit a record of the total number of discretionary hours along with your RS7.
- If you use an approved SMS and require assistance providing the information, contact your SMS provider.
- If you submit a paper-based RS7 or use ELI Web and have used discretionary hours, you must also send us the form below along with your RS7.
Discretionary hours report form: 80 Hours [PDF, 276 KB]
Do not complete the form if your service has not used any discretionary hours.
Email us your completed discretionary hours form and RS7 return.
Email: [email protected]
For specific information on discretionary hours, visit:
3-B-2 Teacher-led education and care services
More information on funding
For funding rules, refer to the ECE Funding Handbook:
Electronic RS7 returns and ELI reports are available on the ELI homepage:
Early Learning Information (ELI) reports
Any pātai, contact us.
Phone: 0800 323 323
Email: [email protected]
For any licensing or general operational matters, or if you require any updates to your service’s contact details, contact your local Te Mahau office:
Heads-up | He kupu puaki#
Licensing criteria consultation report issued#
Findings from the consultation on updating licensing criteria for early childhood education have been published in ‘Modernising Early Childhood Education in Aotearoa New Zealand: Proposed changes to the licensing criteria for early childhood services – Consultation report 2025’. Read the report, and findings at:
Modernising early childhood education in Aotearoa New Zealand
The consultation took place in June and July of 2025, and Associate Minister for Education Hon David Seymour announced changes in November. Changes will be effective from 20 April.
For more information, visit:
Early learning regulatory review
Supporting children through better coordination between agencies and child protection training#
The Government has announced a new inter-agency hub and testing of a child protection training module for core children’s workers in response to the Dame Karen Poutasi review recommendations. You can read more here:
Inter-agency hub, mandatory training to keep kids safe – Beehive
There are no changes to your child safety responsibilities or reporting processes. Kaiako should continue to follow their service’s existing policies and use professional judgement when responding to concerns.
Integrated Government Response to the Poutasi Review – Ministry of Social Development
Playground surfacing in summer heat#
As the summer temperatures climb, it’s a good time to revisit the safety of your playground surfacing. Under the Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008, services must make sure that all outdoor equipment and surfacing remain safe and well maintained.
Synthetic and other authentic outdoor surfaces can become very hot in summer and may cause burns to children. Check surfacing temperature during the day, provide shade where possible and encourage the wearing of appropriate footwear.
Te Poipoi Kaiako mentor support programme – Regional workshops#
Te Poipoi Kaiako provides support and guidance for mentor teachers and overseas trained teachers. It is delivered by Tātai Aho Rau | Core Education and is fully funded by us.
Registrations for face-to-face and online workshops are now open. For more information, or to register, visit:
