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An incident is an event that has harmed, or may have harmed, a child while in the care of a service.
Reports about an incident at an early learning service can come from:
- the service itself, or another service
- whānau | families
- members of public
- a statutory agency such as the New Zealand Police.
From 1 September ERO is the regulator#
From 1 September 2026, the Education Review Office (ERO) is responsible for licensing and regulating early childhood education services.
Any incidents or complaints should be directed to ERO.
Email: [email protected]
Notifying ERO about incidents#
Licensing criteria require services to notify ERO when certain incidents have occurred.
For centre-based services see licensing criterion HS128.
HS128 Notification to the Ministry of Education
For home-based services, see licensing criterion HS227.
Making a complaint about an investigation#
From 1 September 2026, the Education Review Office (ERO) is responsible for licensing and regulating early childhood education services.
Any incidents or complaints should be directed to ERO.
Email: [email protected]
If you are not satisfied with the response, you can make a formal complaint with the Office of the Ombudsman.
Historic complaints and incidents reports#
These reports summarise complaints and incident notifications received by the Ministry of Education year-by-year.
