ECE Sector Praises Minister’s Openness To New Ideas And Willingness To Listen

The Early Childhood Education (ECE) sector group, making up two-thirds of the sector, hosted Minister Seymour last night as an acknowledgement for continuing to listen to sector and being transparent about the issues and potential solutions for ECE.

“As a sector we recognise that we all have different philosophies, however we are bound by our quest for teacher-led, quality ECE that celebrates the rich diversity of our sector,” says Kelly Seaburg, Director of Advocates for Early Learning Excellence. “Having robust discussions directly with the Minister and officials remains vital if we are to work together for the greater good of the sector.”

Kathy Wolfe, CE of Te Rito Maioha agreed. “To ensure that we are placing children first requires that their voices are heard by Ministers, and we will continue to advocate for quality ECE, underpinned by our world-class curriculum - Te Whāriki. While we acknowledge there are significant economic stresses, it remains important the government commits to meaningful investment and having a continued open dialogue is welcomed by the sector.”

“There are a number of challenges facing ECE that we must continue to advance with the government,” said Cathy Wilson, CE, Montessori Aotearoa New Zealand. “These include Pay Equity, Pay Parity, qualified teacher workforce, workforce strategies and ratios. We believe that social investment can make a real difference to the lives of children and families, especially if we invest early in quality ECE.” Mrs Wilson also noted the challenge for the Minister “is to continue to work with the sector to help children grow and thrive for generations to come.”

“So much has been achieved in a short space of time,” said Christine Hall, CE of Central Kids, “including the Regulatory Review, support for the provision of Home-Based services and changes to regulation and funding, such as reliever rates and persons responsible. We’re delighted that as a Minister, you’re listening to the feedback being raised.”

Jill Bond, CEO of New Zealand Kindergartens, reiterated to the Minister that the sector group wanted to place children at the heart of everything we do. “We needed a sustainable system as a platform to build positive change for generation to come, and as sector group, we collectively have the hands to drive that mahi forward. On behalf of all of us, thank you for being here with us and we really appreciate your time, your energy and enthusiasm for the most important sector that you’ve ever come across.”

Following the Minister’s formal speech, Minister Seymour spent an hour talking and engaging with sector representatives.

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