About licensing criteria#

Licensing criteria are part of regulatory framework for early childhood education and care services in Aotearoa New Zealand.

They are compulsory requirements that services must meet to be granted and keep a licence.

What is changing in 2026#

• Criteria have been renumbered for clarity.
• Criteria have updated wording, and in some instances have been removed or merged.
• There is a greater shift toward practice.
• Some criteria that was universal is now becoming more targeted.

Licensing criteria comparison tables#

Application forms#

These application forms will need to be used from 20 April 2026.

Download the guide#

We have developed a guide to give you an overview of the changes and how to find them.