Hoardings Go Up, Petition Signed As Early Childhood Teachers Wait For Proposed Reforms To Hit Cabinet

Early childhood education teachers will be putting up hoardings on Children’s Day this Sunday to voice their opposition to the Government’s recommended regulatory reforms for the ECE sector to hit Cabinet any day.

The recommendations, released in December, have drawn criticism from NZEI Te Riu Roa, the union representing the early childhood workforce, along with academics and community members. The recommendations propose scrapping, amending or undermining regulations that ensure quality education, such as requirements for qualified teachers, children’s safety and a nationally consistent curriculum that honours Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Using Children’s Day 2025 to highlight their cause, more than 5000 have already signed a petition opposing the recommended reforms and are taking a next step of publicising their opposition by putting up hoardings, calling on MPs to oppose the Government’s proposals.

NZEI Te Riu Roa National Executive representative for early childhood education Zane McCarthy says the recommendations prioritise the interests of corporations who receive millions in tax-payer funding, so they can put profits above quality early education.

“There is nothing in these recommended reforms that lifts the quality of early education for tamariki or improves working conditions for kaiako, which drives the chronic shortage of early childhood education teachers we’re experiencing.

“Removing requirements that help to maintain a certain standard of education will only send the quality of young children’s early education backwards and deepen the crisis in ECE. The early learning years are crucial in children’s lives and affect their journey for years to come – even when they become adults.

“We are totally clear about what’s needed to improve the sector: a 100% qualified teaching workforce, quality teacher-to-child ratios, timely access to learning support for tamariki in need, and pay parity with our primary colleagues for all early childhood education teachers.”

As documented in last year’s Kōriporipo Early Childhood Education Workforce Survey report, 73.3% agreed or strongly agreed that they were worried about the health and safety implications of deregulation, and nearly three-quarters of teachers felt their sector was headed in the wrong direction.

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