Laws governing early learning

The rules governing early childhood education in New Zealand.

Level of complianceMain audienceOther

Required
  • All Early Learning Services
  • Service Managers
  • Parents, Caregivers and Whānau
  • Educators, Teachers and Kaiako

In order to operate, a licensed or certificated early learning service must meet or exceed the rules governing early childhood education. 

The three layers of rules

There are three layers of rules governing early childhood education. From the broadest to the most specific, they are:

  1. The Education and Training Act 2020
  2. The Regulations
  3. The Criteria

We also provide guidance on how to meet or exceed these rules. We supply the early learning sector with information, explanations, examples and reminders on this website and in our Early Learning Bulletin.

1. The Education and Training Act 2020

The Education and Training Act applies to all levels of education, including early learning, schools, and tertiary / vocational education.

See the Education and Training Act 2020(external link)

2. The Regulations

The Regulations are based on the Act, and are different for early learning services and playgroups:

3. The Criteria

The criteria are based on the Regulations, and are the day-to-day standards that services must follow in order to retain their licence or certificate. There are different criteria for different service types:

Below is a graphic showing how the Act, the Regulations and the Criteria apply to early learning services.

More information

Licensing fees for new services

When new early learning services are applying to be licensed for the first time, a fee of $2,817.50 (including GST) must be paid.

Early Learning Regulatory Review

The Ministry of Education has begun a comprehensive review of the early learning regulatory system.

See the Early Learning Regulatory Review

Contact us

For more information, contact your local Ministry office

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