19 May 2023

ECE teachers celebrate pay parity and funding boost

From Morning Report, 8:10 am on 19 May 2023

Early Childhood teachers are celebrating a nearly $2 billion boost for the sector, including funding for pay parity from November next year.

The package includes $1.2 billion dollars to extend 20 hours free childcare to two-year-olds from March next year, worth $133 a week per child.

There's almost $340 million dollars for pay parity and $260 million for operating costs including a one-off $3 million for Playcentre Aotearoa.

Gina Sagan, a Dunedin early childhood teacher and NZEI representative, spoke with Ingrid Hipkiss