Progress on actions from the early childhood education sector regulatory review#

The Ministry for Regulation's sector review team began a review of early childhood education regulation in June 2024, working closely with the Ministry of Education and the Education Review Office.

The review examined the regulatory systems for education, health, safety, child protection, food safety, buildings, and workplaces as they applied to the early childhood sector.

The Ministry for Regulation delivered its final report to the Minister for Regulation in December 2024. The Government has accepted all 15 recommendations for improving ECE regulation.

Key recommendations being progressed include:

• simplifying and updating licensing criteria
• Introducing new graduated enforcement tools
• amending legislation to clarify the purpose, objective and guiding principles for regulating ECE
• establishing a new statutory Director of Regulation role with clearer responsibility and accountability for ECE licensing, certification and enforcement.

Work on other recommendations is underway too including on developing improved pathways for appeals, allowing greater flexibility in workforce qualifications and reviewing person responsible requirements.

More information can be found on Early learning regulatory review.

Early learning regulatory advisory group#

We have been working with the early learning regulatory advisory group which provides expert advice to inform our ECE regulatory work. The group includes representatives from early childhood education services and peak sector bodies.

Updated licensing criteria#

Streamlined licensing criteria for centre-based, home-based and hospital-based early learning services were announced by Associate Minister of Education Hon David Seymour on 28 November 2025. Criteria have been reduced from 98 to 80, with 2 criteria removed and 58 criteria amended and/or merged.

This addresses recommendation 9 of the Ministry for Regulation regulatory review.

More information on licensing criteria is available on Licensing criteria for centre-based ECE services.

Consultation#

We consulted on the proposed changes and received more than 1,000 submissions.

We will publish a report on what we heard from those who took part in early learning licensing criteria consultation here when it is available.

Other work underway#

Ministerial Advisory Group early childhood education funding system review#

The Associate Minister of Education established the Ministerial Advisory Group (MAG) on 19 June 2025 to review funding for early learning. The MAG will submit a final report, in September 2026, with fiscally neutral recommendations for redesigning the ECE funding system. The Associate Minister of Education will then make any decisions about possible next steps.

Find out more about the advisory group on Ministerial Advisory Group – early childhood education funding system review.