● Construct and fit out the centre; ● Employee teachers; and ● Apply for and obtain your licence. That’s a tight timeline and, as we’ve seen over the last few years, external events beyond your control can slow down consenting and construction. Should the Minister decline your preapproval application, your only appeal is by way of a judicial review of the decision through the Courts – an expensive, untested and daunting prospect. What if I have a centre consented, being built or nearly ready for licensing? For those able to submit a licence application in full prior to 1 February, these applications will not be subject to a preapproval assessment. However, if you find yourself in any of the following situations, you should start to prepare your pre-approval documents now: ● Own a site either with resource/building consent and you intend to establish a new centre within the next three years; ● Currently constructing a new ECE and won’t be licensed by 1 February; ● Currently looking to purchase a site; ● Own a site that you may wish to develop in the future. Whilst network approval is split into two key parts, being suitability of applicant and need within the area, the most technical component is the needs analysis. Given that there is no appeal process outside of a judicial review, it is critical that you prepare high quality needs analysis when making decisions on new sites. This gives you both the confidence that you need to proceed with the development and the expert analysis that you should have when applying for network approval. There are no transitional provisions, and each application will be assessed against the provisions of the Act and either approved or declined. Further, the Act does not allow the Ministry to accept any pre-approval applications prior to 1 February – meaning those with projects under construction cannot front-foot this matter through an early application. There may be a number of applicants applying for network approval as soon as these open for processing, so we suggest getting your network assessment completed as soon as possible to avoid delays. Kindello has developed a detailed network planning report that covers all the supply and demand matters specified in the Act. These independent reports identify the need for your specific service in the community using demographic, consenting, demand and population forecast data. Contact us to discuss your site. I have a centre ready to licence just after February, can I apply for a preapproval? No – the Ministry will only accept applications from after 1 February 2023. If you are in this situation, we recommend preparing your network approval reporting now to ensure you are ready to lodge as soon as possible. We know several providers that will be lodging their applications on day one. Does network planning apply to all ECE services? No – the following services are exempt: ● A Kōhanga Reo chartered to Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust; ● A standalone early childhood service teaching its curriculum through te reo Māori; ● Māori immersion early childhood services that propose to teach in te reo Māori for the majority of the time. When should I apply for network approval? No applications will be accepted for processing until 1 February – however, you should start preparing your application documents now if you need approval in the next 6-12 months. For those looking to purchase land or develop a new centre from 1 February onward, the suggested timing would look something like this: 01. Undertake initial analysis to define areas where new ECE services are needed; 02. Purchase land/get land under contract; 03. Prepare draft plans to understand high-level costings and likely licence size; 04. Prepare and submit network approval application; 05. Obtain network planning approval; 06. Design centre and obtain resource and building consent; 07. Construct centre; 08. Start licensing process. You will have three years from grant of a network approval to obtain your licence and extensions to this timeframe can be sought in exceptional circumstances. Do I need network approval if I want to expand an existing centre? No, the new pre-approval process applies only to proposed new services, or existing March 2023 { 30 }
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