提前发放ECE资金的影响
副教育部长大卫·西摩（David Seymour）今日宣布，早期儿童教育（ECE）机构的财政支持将从原定的2027年1月提前至2026年7月发放。
西摩表示：
“对于新西兰家长来说，没有什么比孩子能够获得可负担且高质量的ECE服务更重要。”
大多数ECE服务机构将获得1.5%的补贴上调。该增长原计划于2026年7月生效，但通常要到次年1月机构才会实际收到资金。今年将提前实施，使机构从2026年7月起就能获得增加的补贴。
此次调整预计每年为ECE行业增加约4000万纽币资金支持。
“ECE应该是可负担、高质量且可获得的，新西兰的未来依赖于此，”他说。
“行业已经告诉我，成本上涨正在阻碍这些目标。”
“当ECE机构面临成本压力时，他们只有两个选择：要么把成本转嫁给家长，要么削减服务内容。这两种情况都不利于新西兰家庭。”
“ECE机构不应该被迫做这样的选择，这就是我们提前提供支持的原因。通常这笔资金要到2027年1月才会到位，但我们认识到问题的紧迫性，因此提前至2026年7月。”
他说，政府也同步推进ECE监管改革，以提升质量并降低成本压力。
“我们去年完成了ECE行业审查，目标是在确保儿童安全的同时降低合规成本。该审查提出15项改革，使开设和运营高质量中心更容易，从而为家长提供更多选择与更好的可及性。”
“监管部门直接向行业征询意见，了解成本上升和竞争受限的原因。这些改革来自全国服务提供者的反馈，他们长期对规则不清晰、不同机构之间指导冲突以及繁琐的行政流程感到不满。”
改革内容包括：
- 📉 将许可标准数量减少近20%，并简化58项标准，减少合规负担，提高灵活性
- 🏛 设立新的“监管总监”（Director of Regulation），并将监管职能从教育部转移至教育审查办公室（ERO），以加强监督
- ⚖ 引入分级执法机制，更合理应对违规行为，避免“一刀切”式处罚
“这些改革让开设和运营高质量机构变得更容易，从而为家长提供更多选择和更好的服务。这也是政府推动更智能、更高效监管体系的一部分。”
此外，政府还推出 FamilyBoost 政策，截至目前已帮助超过92,000个家庭，每周最多可获得120纽币的ECE费用补贴。
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced that financial relief for early childhood education (ECE) services will come in July 2026, instead of January 2027.
“There are few things as important to Kiwi parents as affordable and quality ECE for their children,” Mr Seymour says.
Most ECE services will receive a 1.5 percent increase to their subsidy rates. The increase applies from July 2026 but typically isn’t received by services till the following January. This year, however, services will receive the increase from July. The increased rates would provide the ECE sector with an additional $40 million each year.
“ECE in New Zealand should be affordable, high quality, and accessible. New Zealand’s future relies on it,” Mr Seymour says.
“The sector has told me that rising costs are getting in the way of those goals.
“When ECE services face cost pressures they have two options; pass costs on to parents, or give up features of their service that are no longer financially viable. Neither of those options are good enough for Kiwi families.
“ECE services shouldn’t have to make either of those decisions. That’s why we brought forward support. Usually it would come in January 2027, but we recognise the urgency. Services will get it in July 2026.
“We have also reformed ECE sector regulations to raise the quality of ECE and make it more affordable.
“Last year we completed the ECE Sector Review to reduce compliance costs but keep children’s safety at the forefront. The Review instigated 15 changes to make it easier to open and run high-quality centres. This leads to more choice and better access for parents.
“The Ministry for Regulation went straight to the source and asked the sector what’s increasing costs and limiting competition. These changes are based on feedback from providers around the country who say they’ve been frustrated by unclear rules, conflicting advice from different agencies, and unnecessary red tape.”
The changes include:
Reducing the number of licensing criteria by almost 20 per cent, and simplifying 58 of them to reduce unnecessary compliance for services and give them greater flexibility.
Establishing a new Director of Regulation and moving regulatory functions from the Ministry of Education to ERO to improve oversight.
Introducing graduated enforcement tools to respond more appropriately to breaches of the new licensing criteria. The only enforcement tools previously available couldn’t manage minor breaches and didn’t facilitate early intervention. There will no longer be high-stakes open-or-shut rules that create anxiety, and strain relationships between regulators and centre operators.
“These reforms make it easier to open and run high-quality centres, which means more choice and better access for parents. This is part of the Government’s wider commitment to smarter, more effective regulation that encourages growth,” Mr Seymour says.
To help ease the pressures placed on families by rising costs this Government has also introduced FamilyBoost which has so far provided more than 92,000 families with up to $120 a week towards ECE costs.
