Need-To-Know | Me Matua Mōhio#
ECE functions transfer to Education Review Office confirmed#
The transfer of core early childhood education (ECE) regulatory functions to the Education Review Office (ERO) has been confirmed by the third reading of the Education and Training (System Reform) Amendment Bill on 23 June.
Subject to the progress needed, ERO will deliver ECE licensing and certification functions by no later than 1 November 2026.
For now, existing licensing, monitoring and compliance processes remain in place through our regional offices. We are working with ERO to provide information and support through the change and will be in touch as we move forward.
Amendments to ECE regulations#
Important changes to the Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 come into effect on 29 June. These changes:
- set up new tools the Director of Regulation can use to make sure providers follow regulations and licensing criteria
- raise the threshold for licence reclassification and suspension
- enable the Director of Regulation to issue a public notification of non-compliance
- enable the Director of Regulation to ensure parents and caregivers can be notified if an investigation into a complaint or incident is warranted.
You can find more information here:
What happens when early learning services do not meet compliance
Privacy Act 2020 – Amendments #
Updates to the ECE Funding Handbook and related documents have been made to improve transparency about how personal information is handled.
Please use these updated documents for any new applications and enrolments:
Sample enrolment agreement template
EC12: Application for exemption from absence rule for special and/or health needs
EC30 HB: Application for home-based educator emergency closure due to an infectious disease
Amendments to the Privacy Act 2020 took effect on 1 May, introducing Information Privacy Principle 3A (IPP 3A). This extends existing obligations by requiring agencies to inform individuals when their information is collected indirectly.
As we collect information indirectly from early childhood providers for purposes like funding, providers need to ensure individuals are informed about what is collected, why, how it is used, who it is shared with, and their rights to access and correct it.
Heads-up | He Kupu Puaki #
Rounding of the certificated teacher funding bands#
We have clarified our calculation methodology for the rounding of the certificated teacher funding band in the ECE Funding Handbook. Read about how it is done here:
Chapter 9-4 Calculating the staff hour count
New resources to help keep tamariki healthy#
We’ve been working with Health New Zealand on resources and information to help keep tamariki healthy.
These practical, easy-to-use resources are designed to help early learning services support tamariki and families | whānau to:
• prevent illness
• manage common winter bugs
• support tamariki to return to learning as soon as they are well enough.
You can find the resources here:
We understand that some tamariki have ongoing or extra health needs and encourage services and families to keep making decisions based on each child’s situation and medical advice.
Measles information for ECEs#
We’ve worked with Health New Zealand to create some collateral that you can use to encourage people to check their measles immunisation status.
Find relevant resources here:
Measles can arrive in your ECE at any time – NIP9162 – Heath Ed
Measles can cause major disruptions for staff and students - NIP9309 – HealthEd
