5403 (2026). Hon Jan Tinetti to the Associate Minister of Education

Written Question

Published date: 05 Mar 2026

Metadata

Document type:	Written Question
Parliament number:	54
Question number:	5403 (2026)
Question asked:	18 Feb 2026
Member asking:	Hon Jan Tinetti
Portfolio:	Associate Minister of Education
Minister replying:	Hon David Seymour
Answer received:	26 Feb 2026
Status:	Question Answered
Reply type:	Reply
Document ID:	WQ_05403_2026
Document guid:	4cec415b-892c-49e6-8282-72760ef497e9

5403 (2026). Hon Jan Tinetti to the Associate Minister of Education: What advice, if any, has he received regarding the closure of 443 early childhood education services between March 2022 and July 2025, and what assessment, if any, has he made of the primary factors contributing to these closures?

Hon David Seymour: I have not received specific advice from the Ministry of Education (the Ministry) on Early Childhood Education (ECE) service closures for the 2022 to 2025 period. However, I am advised by the Ministry that there were 85 ECE closures in 2025, which is lower than the 162 closures of ECE services in 2022 and the 123 closures in 2019. From 2022 to 2025, 259 ECE services opened. The Ministry has also advised that although the number of licensed services has decreased since 2022, some larger service providers are closing their small services and opening larger services. Recent data shows an increase of 1,168 licensed places for children in the last year.