Today the Minister for Regulation and Associate Minister for Education, Hon David Seymour, announced the Government’s intention to shift our regulatory functions related to licensing and certificating early childhood education (ECE) services to ERO.

This proposed change aims to address key findings and recommendations in the Ministry for Regulation’s ECE Regulatory Sector Review released in December 2024 and is subject to changes in legislation.

Under this proposed change, we would continue to focus on producing good quality ECE policy and regulation for ECE. ERO would continue to focus on the licensing of services and core regulatory functions, including monitoring and enforcement. We will continue to have responsibility for the ECE curriculum.

There are no immediate changes for our staff, ERO or ECE providers. There will need to be proposed changes to legislation and ECE regulations before this transfer takes effect.

This is an opportunity to support a more modernised approach to ECE regulation. Moving ECE regulatory functions to ERO will reduce duplication, confusion and compliance burden for ECE providers who will only need to engage with 1 regulator.