HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE OF ECE IN NEW ZEALAND.

The Early Childhood sector in NZ “has undergone rapid transformation, including the integration and regulation of all early childhood services under the Department of Education in 1986, the development and implementation of the bicultural curriculum,Te Whariki (Ministry of  Education, 1996), the requirement that all teachers in early childhood centres hold a minimum diploma qualification by 2012, and a first-ever strategic plan for early childhood education, Ngā Huarahi Arataki (Ministry of Education, 2002)” (Farquhar, 2008, p. 46).

Early childhood care and education began in NZ with a series of education reform bills with early state intervention during the late 19^th century. This welfare liberalism sought to unsuccessfully amend the effects of poverty and neglect prevalent in NZ at this time. By the mid-20^th century early childhood care and education “was linked to the role of motherhood” (Farquhar, 2008, p. 48). Kindergarten was the preferred, socially acceptable, form of early education even after the Bailey Report and the Hill Report (Bailey, 1947; Hill, 1971, as cited in Farquhar, 2008, p. 48). By the 1980’s feminism and biculturalism became stronger and child care was transferred from the Department of Social Welfare to the Department of Education in 1986.

However childcare workers were still receiving the lowest wages in NZ and the government brought in their report Education to be More and Before Five (Department of Education, 1988 as cited in Farquhar, 2008, p. 48) to amend funding, administration, quality controls and curriculum. Farquhar (2008) states that the funding recommendations in this report were frozen and cut by the “neoliberalism” policies that dismantled “the welfare state in favour of free market liberalism” (p. 49) in government throughout the 1990s. Nevertheless the bicultural, early childhood curriculum Te Whariki (Ministry of Education, 1996) was implemented at this time.  

In 2002 the Ministry of Education published a 10-year strategic plan for early childhood The strategic plan set out three core goals, “increasing participation in quality ECE services, improving quality of ECE services and promoting collaborative relationships” (Ministry of Education, 2002, p. 8). Farquhar (2008) states that implementing this strategic plan resulted in “a period of rapid professionalism” (p. 51).

Farquhar states that recent OECD reports from the international community has “herald a shift in thinking…by investing in early childhood education, OESD countries are seen to be improving their human capital, increasing women’s participation in the labour market… [for] improving productivity and profitability” (p. 52). Early childhood services in New Zealand, from a historical perspective, appear to have undergone changes from an emphasis on care, to education, to becoming a commodity.

References:

Farquhar, S. (2008). Early childhood care and education: From advocacy to institution. In V. Carpenter, J. Jesson, P. Roberts & A. Stephenson (Eds.), Ngā Kaupapa here: Connections and contradictions in education (pp 46-56). Australia: Cengage Learning.

Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki: He Whāriki Mātauranga Mō Ngā Mokopuna o Aotearoa / Early Childhood Curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.

Ministry of Education. (2002). Strategic plan for early childhood education: Pathways to the future: Ngā Huarahi Arataki. Wellington: Ministry of Education.