Early Childhood Education

‍This section focuses on participation rates for Te Tai Tokerau in comparison to the rest of New Zealand. The source is Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga/Ministry of Education’s ELI system of reporting. Of note is that this data undercounts the participation of mokopuna Māori as kōhanga reo are not connected to the ELI system.

In New Zealand, early childhood education (ECE) is widely regarded as developmentally powerful, equity-focused, preventative, whānau-centred, and foundational to long-term wellbeing. It is highly politicised and deeply embedded within the education system. However, there are ongoing questions about causality, alongside critiques of earlier studies that lack robust design—particularly in relation to outcomes for Māori mokopuna.[i]

Across gender and ethnicities, rates are mostly consistent in Te Tai Tokerau with only Pacific children’s prior participation rate in ECE on enrolling for school showing any gains -  3% more, compared with the previous year.  The participation rate for Tamariki Māori is 92%, slightly lower than the New Zealand wide rate at 95% and for all children it is slightly lower at 95% compared with 96.8% New Zealand wide.

‍There are only small variations in the numbers of children who had attended ECE prior to enrolling in school and the number of those not attending are also consistent – about 6%. Most of the mokopuna not attending ECE are Māori and it is reasonable to assume that some will be at kōhanga reo but not captured by the Ministry of Education system.

In 2022, New Zealand’s early childhood education (ECE) participation rates were generally higher than the OECD average: 30% of children under two (OECD 18%), 63% of two-year-olds (OECD 42%), 76% of three-year-olds (OECD 75%), and 81% of four-year-olds (OECD 88%). These differences partly reflect variations in parental leave and work-related policies.

‍In the Nordic countries, Estonia, Hungary, and Bulgaria, extended paid parental leave (some 85 weeks) can delay enrolment in formal ECE at younger ages. In contrast, New Zealand’s work obligations—including part-time work requirements for sole parents on a benefit typically require enrolment from around age three. Government policies also provide strong incentives: the 20 Hours Free scheme (now called 20 Hours ECE) for children aged 3–5 years has recently been extended to include two-year-olds from 1 March 2024, and the Family Boost reimburses up to 25% of weekly ECE fees (capped at $75 per week) after accounting for the 20 Hours Free subsidy.[i]