Need-to-know | Me mātua mōhio#
ECE Regulatory Review#
Last year, the Ministry for Regulation (MfR) led an ECE Regulatory Review and published its final report here:
Regulatory Review of Early Childhood Education – Ministry for Regulation
The review assessed whether the current set of regulations are achieving the right outcomes for early childhood education, and examined the regulatory systems for education, health, safety, child protection, food safety, buildings, and workplaces as they apply to the ECE sector.
Thank you to the early learning services that contributed to the review.
Associate Education Minister and Minister for Regulation Hon. David Seymour announced yesterday that the Government accepted all 15 recommendations from the review report.
ECE sector review changes begin – Beehive
The recommendations will be phased in over time and the initial focus will be on preparing for consultation on removing, changing or merging approximately three-quarters of the licensing criteria by the end of 2025.
Going forward the changes to licensing criteria (public consultation in mid-2025), the Education and Training Act (engagement during select committee towards the second half of 2025) and the ECE Regulations (sector engagement in the second half of 2025) provide further opportunities for people to have a say.
We have started working with the ERO to identify where overlap and duplication exists and, as this work progresses over the coming months, we will keep you informed.
Current regulatory settings remain whilst this work progresses, and we will keep you updated in future Bulletins.
For further information keep an eye on our website:
Laws and regulations for early learning services
Measles cases increasing overseas – get vaccinated before travel#
You may wish to share this information with staff and families using your centre/service.
Measles outbreaks are occurring in Australia, the US, Canada, the UK, Vietnam, Thailand and India.
Aotearoa does not currently have any measles cases, but we are at high risk of an outbreak. This is because of the spread of measles overseas and our low immunisation rates, with non-immune travellers the most likely to bring measles back here.
Anyone who isn’t immune can get infected and immunisation is the best protection. You are considered immune after having two doses of a measles vaccine from 12 months or older.
Read about, or book, the vaccine here:
Measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine – Health New Zealand
Please note that people vaccinated before 1992 may have only received one vaccine dose and might not be fully protected. It’s recommended people vaccinated before 1992 get another measles vaccine (it’s safe to get extra doses).
Get protected before you travel overseas. You can check your immunity status here:
Checking if you are immune to measles – Health New Zealand
Some pēpi (babies) under 12 months can get an early dose of the MMR vaccine (MMR0) before overseas travel – discuss with your healthcare provider. Pēpi will still need two more doses at 12 and 15 months.
Heads-up | He kupu puaki#
New Pacific e-newsletter for parents and caregivers launched#
Matavai is our new monthly e-newsletter that will provide important updates on key education developments, share Pacific success stories from across Aotearoa and highlight upcoming education events and opportunities.
This launch marks a significant milestone as we establish a dedicated space to keep Pacific parents, caregivers and communities informed and connected.
We encourage you to share this information with Pacific parents and communities through your early learning centre.
Read the inaugural issue here:
Subscribe here:
Subscribe to Matavai Pacific e-newsletter – Mailchimp
Take our Kōwhiti Whakapae survey#
We encourage you and your kaiako to take a short survey to help us better understand how you engage with Kōwhiti Whakapae. The results of the survey will help us support the use of Kōwhiti Whakapae in more early learning settings.
The survey is open from 30 April to 30 May 2025 and only takes around five minutes to complete. You can access it here from next Wednesday:
Kōwhiti Whakapae Awareness and Engagement Survey – SurveyMonkey
Please feel free to share the survey with your kaiako.
For more information about the full suite of Kōwhiti Whakapae resources, visit: