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Equity Index funding — how MoE supports centres in higher-need communities

The Equity Index (EQI) is the Ministry of Education's replacement for the decile system. It uses Stats NZ Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI) signals — household income, parental qualifications, housing stability, regional context — to score each centre on the relative socio-economic disadvantage of the children it serves. Higher EQI = more disadvantaged community = more equity funding.

How EQI bands work

  • Score range: roughly 350-550. Higher = more disadvantage.
  • Bands used on this site: 1 (lowest need, top quintile) through 5 (highest need, bottom quintile), plus "EQI > 5" for centres above the highest band threshold.
  • Equity funding tops up baseline MoE funding for centres in higher bands. Centres in band 5 may receive an additional ~10-20% per child compared to band 1.
  • Not a quality rating. EQI describes the community served, not the centre's educational quality. ERO is the quality body.

Why parents care

EQI matters to parents for two reasons:

  1. Resource access — higher-EQI centres often receive additional staffing, language support, food programmes, and outreach resources.
  2. Community context — the EQI band is a fast proxy for the demographic profile of the families using a centre. Some parents prioritise community match; others prioritise specific learning approaches regardless of EQI.

How to filter by EQI band

On /explore, the "Equity Index band" filter lets you narrow to centres in specific bands (added 2026-05-24). Suburb profile pages flag the dominant band for centres in that suburb.

Frequently asked questions

Is a higher EQI band worse? +
No. A higher EQI band reflects a community with more socio-economic challenges, which means the centre receives more equity funding to support its families. Educational quality is independent — measured by ERO.
How is EQI calculated? +
EQI uses Stats NZ Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI) data on the children attending each centre — household income proxies, parental qualifications, residential mobility, regional context. The MoE updates EQI annually.
Can a centre move bands? +
Yes. As the enrolled cohort changes, the EQI score recalculates. Centres in growth areas often move bands over time.
Does EQI affect what parents pay? +
Not directly. EQI affects the funding the centre receives from MoE — it doesn't change the 20 Hours ECE rate, Childcare Subsidy thresholds, or FamilyBoost rebate. Some higher-EQI centres pass the funding through as lower fees or extra services.
Where does the underlying data come from? +
Stats NZ IDI, with MoE applying the EQI weighting. Stats NZ publishes the methodology publicly; centre-level scores are not published, only the band.

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