NZ ECE funding diff
What changed in 2022
2022 saw rising operational pressure on the sector — workforce shortages, accelerating wage costs, and the first wave of post-pandemic service closures. The Budget continued pay-parity uplifts but the overall rate increase was widely seen as insufficient to keep up with inflation. The cumulative effect of 2022-2024 cost-of-delivery inflation later became a central sector argument for the 5% Budget 2026 ask.
Changes this year
- Workforce
Pay parity programme funding continued
Budget 2022 maintained the pay-parity uplift programme begun in earlier budgets. Centres opting in received conditional funding rate increases to align certificated teacher pay with kindergarten teacher scales.
About this page: a neutral catalogue of NZ ECE funding and policy changes by year. Built from official Crown / Treasury / Ministry sources cited above. We do not represent any political party — corrections and additions welcome via contact. Last reviewed 2026-05-28. See also: our methodology · data sources + licences.