Hon David Seymour
Minister for Regulation

Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet.

“Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led to urgent calls from the sector to conduct a review. The review is currently underway and taking public submissions.

“Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori have united with the unions to vow to stop any changes, no matter what they are. They are essentially saying they want to stop the Government from making it easier and cheaper for parents to access childcare.

"This is the definition of opposition for opposition's sake.

“We have heard reports from centres around the country where teachers and carers are spending their time dealing with regulators and writing reports and plans on absurd things like the first aid certificate being hung on the right-hand side of the doorframe instead of above it, or a train driver honking the train horn at the children as the train drives past every morning to the delight of the children but the chagrin of noise pollution police.

“I look forward to hearing the opposition spokespeople and unions seriously explaining why these are examples of necessary regulation, and how removing them will endanger children.

“So far parents, teachers, centre owners, child advocacy groups, unions, research bodies, and others connected to the sector have all contributed to the sector review.

“They’ve all been clear that the current regulatory system is not working, which is why this review is so important. I encourage everyone who is interested in this work to have their say before the end of August.

“If the one thing that the opposition is finally able to unite on is keeping red tape and unnecessary regulations in place, then I look forward to the Coalition Government having a long stint in government getting red tape under control.”

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