Welcome, karakia and introductions#

Andy Jackson, Chair

• Andy welcomed the group and Coralanne Child opened the meeting with a karakia.
• Apologies and member movements were noted.
• May minutes were confirmed.
• Megan updated on the action items – noting that most of today’s programme comes from agenda requests at the May meeting.
• As there were several alternates, members introduced themselves and their organisations.

Learning Support Budget 25 Initiatives #

Rachael Vink

Rachael updated the group on the progress of implementing key Budget 25 initiatives, highlighting the fact that this is a multiyear change programme.  

Key points of interest for ECAC members from the Budget were the expansion of Early Intervention Services (EIS), rollout of more Learning Support Coordinators for schools with students in years 1-8, and the digitisation workstream which will create a new model to hold all key information in one place.

It is expected that key changes will be seen around transition to school, with the EIS moving into year 1 and more Learning Support Coordinators to act as the ‘docking in point’ for ECE services and families.

Questions and discussions#

• Members discussed the implementation of “pillars of practice / toolkit”, in particular whether there would be consultation around this. The answer was yes from Rachael.  
• Members discussed the position of puna and kōhanga within this work. Rachael confirmed that they are included.  
• Members discussed how the expansion of EIS will specifically impact ECE. Action: Rachel will look in to getting numbers on the FTE involved in this part of the programme.
• A member asked a question about how independent EIS providers (EISSPs) will be included. Currently expanded provision is sitting with MoE specialist providers; it is intended that changes will be made when EISSP contracts expire so the new expectations can be appropriately reflected.
• Member asked when ECE services would expect to see a difference or impact from this work. Answer: Changes should be clear for learners beginning their transition to school from term 1 2026.  
• There was a discussion on how LSC will work with early learning services that feed into schools. It was confirmed that the intention is that this role has a crossover with transition conversations.  
• Members discussed the FTTE model with LSC.  It was confirmed that a decision has been made that no school will have less than 0.2 FTTE. School allocations will come out in September and there will be full coverage by 2028.
• Members discussed the issue of children who continue to stay in services beyond 5, who generally experienced a reduction in ESW hours. It was noted that this Budget does not include additional ESW hours, but the expectation is that there will be improved transition arrangements through these initiatives which mean parents feel more confident to move children into school.

NZ Curriculum updates – changes and assessment in the early years of schooling#

Hayley Welch

In response to members’ request to understand more about what was happening in the early years of schooling, Hayley Welch shared a presentation covering the work being undertaken around the NZ curriculum to ensure there is a knowledge rich curriculum grounded in the science of learning, evidence based instruction in literacy and maths, and consistent modes of monitoring and assessing student progress. The work programme is ambitious, with a focus on a greater use of data to drive improvements.  

Hayley discussed how phonics checks and Hihira Weteoro (as one of the new assessment points) are working.

There was an update on early learning resources – including improvements to the accessibility of Kōwhiti Whakapae resources.

ECE Funding Review#

Linda Meade, Chair of the Ministerial Advisory Group

• Linda gave a brief presentation outlining the scope and intent of ECE Funding Review and the work programme for the Ministerial Advisory Group (MAG).
• Work will be carried out in 5 phases and include an engagement phase to hear what the issues are and help shape the problem definition, and a further consultation once options are developed. The Terms of Reference have been updated to reflect this approach, and the timeline for delivering recommendations to the Minister is now September 2026.
• Members asked about the make-up of the MAG, understanding there had been some change since the initial announcement. It was confirmed that one member had left the group and a replacement was appointed yesterday.
• There was discussion around the reasons that some service types were excluded from the review (Kōhanga Reo and Playcentre), what the preservation of the benefits of 20 Hours ECE meant, and the concerns of some that outcomes of the review may have been predetermined.
• Megan led a workshop session for ECAC members to provide their thoughts on the key mechanisms for engaging with various parts of the sector. The second part of the workshop explored how the MAG could leverage some of the members’ existing channels and relationships to reach Kaiako, parents and communities that are often more difficult for the Ministry to connect with.
• Members’ feedback will help inform the MAG’s engagement programme.

Education workforce teacher attraction initiatives #

Kim Whitaker

• In response to a request from members at the September 2025 ECAC, Kim presented on initiatives underway to attract people to teaching as a profession, and also to promote teaching in New Zealand as an option to those overseas.
• These included the redevelopment of website content to make key information more easily accessible, running targeted advertisements in overseas markets, attending career expos and developing webinars and explainer videos to help share the processes required to become a certificated teacher in New Zealand.
• Although many of the initiatives are generalised for any ‘teacher’, the team are aware of a lack of specific content targeting ECE teachers. Kim would be grateful for any support ECAC members could offer to help develop this – including connections for ECE teachers who might be willing to attend career expos, or organisations who have done a lot of international recruitment sharing their insights with the team.

Regulatory work programme update #

Pirihira Hollings and Megan Hutchison

• Pirihira provided an overview of the recently completed consultation on the ECE Licensing Criteria. This included high level demographics of respondents and some key themes that came out in the responses.
• There was a question around how feedback from organisations (with a large number of services or members) was weighted. Pirihira noted that these organisation were identified and emphasised in the analysis.
• The consultation feedback has been taken into account in the recommendations, which are with the Minister for approval. Once these have been Gazetted, there will some implementation work to ensure it’s clear how to meet compliance with any new criteria. It is anticipated that ‘go live’ date will be in early 2026, to give time for this work to happen.
• Megan provided an update on other actions from the ECE Regulatory Sector Review and timeframes for progressing recommendations.
• It was clarified that the proposed shift of regulatory functions to ERO was not part of the ECE Reform Bill – this would require separate legislation. The CE’s of MOE and ERO have been invited to speak to ECAC at an appropriate time, when there are more details around the proposed change of regulator.
• It was confirmed that there would be consultation around proposals to address the MFR recommendations 10 and 11, but the timing or format of this had not been determined. 

ECE Snapshot#

Megan Hutchison

• Megan presented the Snapshot data, which has been updated in line with member requests from last meeting. This included showing the four new bilingual/immersion service types in the participation data, and also outlining the service types making up the 100% funding band.
• Overall, service numbers were up this quarter, for the first time in quite a while.
• Members asked if the numbers of children receiving learning support could be added to the snapshot. Some complexities with this were noted, but it will be investigated for a future meeting.
• Members are interested in some more analysis of the changes in the 100% funding band. There is some work on this for another project that may be able to be shared when completed.
• There was a suggestion that an increase in enrolments was happening due to requirements from Oranga Tamariki when families were involved with them. It wasn’t clear if there has been a change in policy here. 

Reflections and wrap up #

Andy Jackson

• Andy thanked members for their engagement and participation throughout the day.
• Reflections were sought on the sessions for the day, and options for future agendas.
• Coralanne closed with a karakia.