PLEASE SHARE THIS MAGAZINE! If you know anyone who would like to read the interesting and informative articles in Swings & Roundabouts, pass it on! ISSN 1179-688X (Print) • ISSN 1179-7517 (Online) PO Box 5649, Lambton Quay, Wellington 6145 ECC Conference 2025: Igniting the Fire Within Get inspired by sector leaders, reenergise and connect with ECE professionals from across the country ECC CEO: Operating an ECE now is harder than ever before Exploring challenges of the Pay Parity scheme Setting Children up for Literacy Success The important role of ECE teachers in helping children acquire essential foundation skills Centre Profile: Operation Zero Waste A centre's journey to sustainability
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Inside this issue... Editor Ingrid Crispin & Rachel Luo Editorial Enquiries publications@ecc.org.nz Advertising Enquiries Catherine Norton Waterford Press Ltd PO Box 37346, Christchurch, New Zealand. Phone: 03 983 5526 Email: catherine@waterfordpress.co.nz www.waterfordpress.co.nz Production Co-ordinator Luke Lynch Content Co-ordinator Lyn Barlow Graphic Designers Liki Udam Subscription Enquiries Early Childhood Council PO Box 5649, Lambton Quay, Wellington 6145 Phone: 0800 742 742 Email: admin@ecc.org.nz www.ecc.org.nz DISCLAIMER: A cancellation fee of 25% may be charged if the booking is cancelled after the sales cut off date. Your Media Consultant will be able to provide that information if you are not aware of it. Applications for advertising in Swings & Roundabouts will be considered from the following: 1) Early childhood centres and/or their associated management groups that are members of the Early Childhood Council. 2) Trade and service suppliers to the early childhood industry. 3) Government and not-for-profit organisations. Please note: Some industries may be restricted due to exclusive arrangements with the Early Childhood Council. Please note: We do not accept advertisements for staff vacancies. All advertising content is at the sole discretion of the editor. All advertising will be at the rates determined by Waterford Press Ltd. Swings & Roundabouts is produced by the Early Childhood Council and is sent free of charge to all independent early childhood centres in New Zealand. The information contained in Swings & Roundabouts is of a general nature only. Readers should not act on the basis of the information it contains without seeking advice for their own specific circumstances. The views and opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent the view of the Early Childhood Council Incorporated. All content in this magazine is copyright and may not be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the editor. Swings & Roundabouts is published annually for the Early Childhood Council by Waterford Press Ltd. 6 CEO Foreword 8 ECC Information & Notices 9 ECC Professional Development 12 Waitara Community Childcare: Sudden Closure due to suspected Black Mould 14 Centre Profile: Operation Zero Waste 17 ECC Conference Overview 18 ECC Conference Programme 20 ECC Conference Keynote Speakers 21 ECC Conference Workshops 22 ECC Conference Social Events 24 Setting Children up for Literacy Success 27 Child Safeguarding Week 28 Emotional Intelligence: Why is it Important for Leadership Success? 30 ECC Preferred Suppliers 31 ECC App 33 ECC ERO Survey: 2024 Findings 34 ECC Conference 2026 July 2025 { 5 }
MESSAGE CEO's Times are difficult for ECE providers. I would say times are harder now than they were in 2022 where providers thought things were bad and they were over-wrought by COVID-19 funding challenges and constant new regulations. Following the change of government in 2023, there was a brief period of calm. But the previous Labour Government’s regulation changes continued to flow-through even after that change of government (up until about mid 2024). Since Associate Minister Seymour became responsible minister for ECE, the inexplicable new regulations and proclamations from the Ministry of Education have mostly stopped. We had a period of relative stability without the constant distraction of the Ministry of Education. Lack of distractions were welcome and people in ECE could be more focused on the things that motivate them – delivering great services to children and families everyday and looking after their staff. A challenging new period has started since Budget Day on 22 May. There has been a new major disruption from the Ministry of Education. A “Pay Parity funding moratorium” has been imposed. Basically the moratorium freezes where providers are at in terms of the three current Pay Parity funding policies. The freeze runs from 1 July 2025 until 30 June 2027. Before the moratorium started, ECC saw a huge flurry of activity from our members and other providers. They had to run their numbers under urgency and make their best punts about which Pay Parity setting they would choose before the two-year moratorium took effect – locking them out of higher options. I think a very large number of providers will have shifted into the top scheme now – Full Parity – driven by the fear of missing out on it. The pay parity policies don’t work properly and they certainly do not give our teachers parity with kindergarten teachers. The policy allows two services with radically different teacher salary costs to get funded at the same rate. For a service with very low salary costs they get windfall gains, but for providers with the most experienced teachers they get penalised and must fill their shortfall in funding by charging parents higher fees. The ECE Funding Review will need to create solutions to these problems. I’m no longer confident that providers will be able to survive long enough to see solutions realised. Over the course of now until May next year there is too much financial pressure. New analysis we have done shows that, since the Pay Parity policies started, only 74% of small centres (less than 20 child places) could make Pay Parity work. 20% of small centres have had to close and 6% remain outside the pay parity scheme. Smaller centres tend to be operated by independent providers. In contrast, for larger centres (76-100 child place centres) 97% remain open and were in Pay Parity. It is even higher for centres with 101-150 places – with 99% remaining open and in Pay Parity. These larger centres are the most likely profile of centres to be in Full Parity (as opposed to the lower options of Parity and Extended Parity). Things are even worse for those centres with less than 20 children, as they are the much less likely to be able to offer Full Parity at all. This means if you’re teaching in a small centre, you are more likely to You wouldn’t have read a print-issue of Swings & Roundabouts for a while. We only do one hard-copy run per year and for the rest of the year we do a monthly digital newsletter. Having a more regular Swings enables us to stay better up to date with new developments. See the QR code to sign up to our digital version. July 2025 { 6 }
be paid less than a teacher working in a larger centre, who also has the support of a large team. Our analysis also shows that teachers in these smaller centres tend to be more experienced on average. The Pay Parity policy will kill our small centres in New Zealand and lead to only larger centres being viable. This is a “man-made” problem. Or rather “MoE-made problem”. There’s a point where efficiency goes too far and educational policies are harmful – both to children and teachers. It is not feasible to have large centres all over New Zealand. Spare a thought for little centres everywhere and their amazing teachers who continue doing great work every day despite this poor support they receive. Join ECC to make a difference – visit our website at ecc.org.nz. July 2025 { 7 }
ECC Information and Notices Browse the full suite of ECC policies, templates and advisories on the member portal (sign in required, access available exclusively to ECC members): ECC Annual General Meeting 2025 ECC members please save the date: Tuesday 9 September at 1pm. The AGM will be held online via the Zoom platform in 2025; there will be no proxy voting because anyone who wants to attend the meeting should be able to. All members will receive a link to join the AGM via email ahead of the meeting. Please ensure you are on time; members who enter the meeting after 1:05pm will not be permitted entry. ECE Funding Moratorium The ECE funding moratorium came into effect on 1 July and will run until 30 June 2027. During this time, services attested to Pay Parity or Extended Parity funding rates will not be able to move to higher salary scales (i.e. Extended Parity or Full Parity). Service providers on base funding are not covered by the moratorium and new services, or owner-changed services, are also exempted from the moratorium. ECC is working on an approach to significantly increase pressure on government, following its low-cost adjustment in Budget 2025 and the financial strain the Pay Parity policy places on centres. Funding Review Working Group The Associate Minister of Education David Seymour officially announced an ECE Funding Review on 17 June. Simon has been appointed to the Ministerial Advisory Group (MAG), which is chaired by Linda Meade; its first meeting was on 15-16 July. ECC will continue to be the leading voice on funding related matters for ECE providers – our members. With Simon appointed to the MAG, we are convening a working group within ECC to lead and engage our members, so we make the most of this opportunity to address the major failures of the current funding model. Our view of the future is a sector comprised of financially stable independent providers, delivering quality services to children at affordable costs to parents and families. Recent ECC Submissions ECC has already made a number of submissions in 2025 in response to potential changes that could impact our members and the wider ECE sector. Members can read ECC submissions on the portal under the topic ‘ECC Advisory and Advocacy.’ ● Taxation and the not-for-profit sector submission – closed 31 March. ● ECC submission on the Education and Training Amendment Bill (No 2) – closed 12 June. ● Consultation on proposed changes to the Early Childhood and Education Care services 2008 licensing criteria – closed 24 July. ● Teaching Council consultation on proposals for a new practicing certificate and Limited Authority to Teach for relief teachers – closed 1 August. Recently Updated Resources ● All ECC employment agreement templates have been updated to include the use of AI (artificial intelligence) in early learning settings. ● Child Collect Policy – GMA10 ● Staff Vaccination Policy – HS26 ● Child Protection Advisory – HS ● Child Protection Policy – HS3 ● Use of AI in ECE Advisory Specialising in the construction of ECE Centers Call us today for a free no obligation consultation 0800 439 439 pinkconstruction.co.nz July 2025 { 8 }
In August 2024 we launched the ECC Learning Centre in partnership with ECE Learning Unlimited. This all-in-one professional development platform brings all your favourite webinars, workshops and courses together. Whether you’re a centre owner, manager or teacher your time is precious. That’s why we’ve made it easier than ever to access, manage, and track your learning. With just one login, ECC members can now view all upcoming events, recordings, resources, and certificates in one place. No more searching through emails or trying to remember what you’ve already completed – it’s all organised in one place. ECC Professional Development now hosted on the ECC Learning Centre Your OneStop Hub for Online Learning (expected to be gazetted by the end of September 2025), what it will mean for your centre and the action we’ll need to take. Stay on the lookout for more information about ECC’S End of Year Reception on Wednesday 10 December! This member exclusive event will be hosted as a hybrid function this year, with the in-person event in Wellington (and online for members outside of Wellington). All upcoming events will be listed in the ECC Learning Centre, so make sure you’ve set up your free ECE Learning Unlimited account and linked it to your ECC membership so you can be the first to register. Over 4,000 users are already using the ECC Learning Centre to streamline their professional development and keep up to date with the latest sector news and developments. If you haven’t explored it yet, now’s the perfect time to get started. Get started now by visiting bit.ly/ECC-LC or scanning the QR code! What are the benefits of the ECC Learning Centre? ● Easily register for new courses and events ● Access recordings and resources anytime from desktop or mobile ● Track your progress on webinars and workshops ● Receive a certificate of completion for all learning What’s Coming Up? Simplifying Fee Structures and Fee Collection Processes – Wednesday 24 September & Wednesday 8 October This two-part webinar series is intended to support centres with creating clear, effective fee schedules and parent fee structures. Whether you’re reviewing your current setup or starting fresh, these webinars will ensure that the value of your service is communicated to parents and all funding requirements have been met in the process. Now more than ever before centres need to ensure they are on top of fees. Remember the 1 January 2026 cost adjustment will only be 0.5%! Changes to the ECE Licensing Criteria – Wednesday 29 October In this webinar we’ll help you understand the changes to the ECE Licensing Criteria Special Offer: All ECC members get a 10% discount off any ECELU subscription! ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN & CONSENTING 0800 527 337 www. las.co.nz July 2025 { 9 }
Expert knowledge and advice Regular news, guidance and policies to keep you well informed and compliant. Members can also access our free employment law and financial advice helplines. Preferred Supplier Discounts Access an extensive range of discounted goods, services and special offers for your centre and its staff through our Preferred Supplier Programme. Advocacy and Representation Have your opinions heard and get involved in key sector discussions. We engage with policymakers to influence positive change and ensure that your interests are heard. Events / Professional Development Discounted events and professional development opportunities, including the ECC Conference. Grow your professional network and connect with peers. About us The leading voice in the ECE sector ecc.org.nz admin@ecc.org.nz 0800 742 742 Become a member today! Our member benefits 800+ MEMBERS 1,300+ CENTRES ”I've been in the ECE industry for 10 years and an ECC member from the start. It's the best money I spend each year, and I recommend it to everyone. I don’t know what I’d do without ECC!” - Rhiannon The Early Childhood Council (ECC) is a not-for-profit incorporated society and membership association for independent centre-based providers in the Early Childhood Education sector. We provide support to owners and managers and their teams to help them stay on top of a constantly changing sector. ECE can be incredibly fulfilling and allows you to make a real difference in the lives of young children. Joining ECC has so many benefits that it saves you the cost of the annual ECC subscription.
Sudden Closure due to suspected Black Mould By Simon Laube, ECC CEO In February this year a small community childcare centre based in Waitara reached out to ECC for help because they received a shock letter from Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) terminating their lease. The centre, Waitara & District Community Childcare Centre (Waitara centre), had been operating from the site for decades, with many current teachers having themselves been children at the much-loved community centre, with further generations going through. Of course ECC had to step in to try to help our member. Initially ECC’s focus was on getting the centre more time – the termination notice gave them only 45 days. That just isn’t long enough to find a new site and have the MoE organise a licence. For people who don’t know, the establishment of a centre on a green or new site takes about 3.6 years on average (ECC submission, Feb 2022). LINZ’s termination letter did not say why the lease was being terminated, but defensively asserted they were only required to give one month notice. We were told by the Waitara centre team that they believed LINZ was terminating the lease because the property was connected to a Treaty settlement process (underway for many years, and still underway today). The site needed to be cleared before its transfer. What they understood to be the motivation was based on verbal discussions with LINZ officials. Nothing in writing existed. I was actually on leave when the centre manager and treasurer Wendy Yandle reached out for help. My mother had passed away unexpectedly a couple of days before and I was in Dunedin. However, I recognised the unfolding crisis and was still able to rattle off an urgent letter to ministers to make a case for government intervention to help the Waitara centre. It seemed to me that LINZ was not acting reasonably, and the risks of closure looked extremely high. Initially I believed the termination was related to the iwi settlement process. The centre team did in fact have (and still has) an excellent working relationship with the local iwi. So ECC formed the view that the centre needed to remain open so the iwi could become the new landlord, just don’t cancel the lease please LINZ. However, there was also a nagging concern about the overall state of the building. Half of the building was visibly extremely rundown and disused. There had even been issues with leaks in the roof and there was water damage visible in a couple of the rooms within the licensed area of the centre. ECC wrote to ministers asking for an urgent meeting to be convened so the team at the centre could speak to the relevant officials. Meetings are usually a good strategy for sorting matters out more quickly. Emails and letters can be clumsy forms of communication especially where there is time pressure. The iwi also wrote to LINZ asking for a reversal of its position to terminate the lease. The urgent meeting happened on 26 February and it included officials from both LINZ and MoE. On the day of their urgent meeting I was busy in an ECC board meeting. At the end of my board meeting I got an emotional call from Wendy telling me that the centre was to be closed immediately due to suspected black mould. The suspected black mould was conveyed verbally by the LINZ team to the centre team in the meeting – it obviously came as a huge shock to the centre team. Once revealed, the danger of black mould left no alternative other than closure. Black mould is a major health risk if spores get inhaled. I will come to the bit about “suspected” in a minute. I felt angry about the way this information about there being black mould got conveyed to the centre staff. For one, I had no warning about it and neither did the centre. It is a bit like getting extremely bad news unexpectedly – maybe you shouldn’t give advance notice of the extremely bad news but surely you can send warning signals to the other party by saying things like – please ensure you bring a support person – or two. Or – “oh, you are not bringing so-and-so - maybe you should? [i.e. hint, hint]. The fact MoE was at the meeting might have been enough support from LINZ’s perspective. We will never know. The outcome is that a meeting that was supposed to find a solution to a too-brief termination notice period instead brought about a massive shock – sudden closure on 28 February. Only two days prior, ECC and the team at Waitara were optimistic about the urgent meeting as a way of extending the notice period. This couldn’t have been further from officials’ intentions. July 2025 { 12 }
I should add that the centre had complained to LINZ in 2017 that being on a month-bymonth lease wasn’t fair or leaving them nearly enough time to relocate should LINZ ever seek to terminate. On hearing of the sudden closure, ECC wrote again directly to Minister Penk (minister for LINZ). ECC subsequently received messages from the Head of Crown property at LINZ and we took numerous calls from minister Penk’s office. They seemed to be taking it seriously. Unfortunately, once your centre is closed – as happened suddenly on 28 Feb, it’s very difficult to get it reopened. I think the word “difficult” understates a largely “impossible” process to do in short timeframes. We rely on MoE to this day to help facilitate the necessary licences that are keeping the centre temporarily alive. Yet the team at Waitara were able to negotiate a temporary arrangement first with the nearby Playcentre. They decamped ECE services for children from the LINZleased centre but continued to operate their administration out of the LINZ building. The Waitara team, its teachers and support crew worked around the clock to set things up. I visited during that period and it was hugely helpful to see other providers helping out; and secondly they moved a few weeks later to their (current) temporary site at the North Taranaki Sports & Recreational Centre. The community has bound itself in support round the Waitara centre. I convened a community meeting for the Waitara centre. There was a huge turnout, with more than one hundred people. I got quite a few curly questions. The shock among the community was further reinforcement to me that LINZ got this one wrong and that the centre was essential to this community. Definitely there was a strong fighting spirit here. Politicians should know to tread carefully when their departments kick up this kind of happy community – for whatever reason. It is critical information to know what the actual evidence of black mould was. Had it been tested for? If there was a suspicion of black mould, what was the suspicion based on and how strong? Was there not a way to treat or mitigate the health risks associated? All of our questions were effectively skipped over by forcing an immediate closure. We OIA’d the test that the termination notice was based on. We were told it would not be ready in time for the community meeting. LINZ also refused to send any official to the community meeting. This is partly the reason why I got a hard time – I had to convey what little information we knew to the community. There was frustration and anger at the lack of information. Media covered the matter closely with extremely good reporting from Robin Martin (RNZ). I should mention the advocacy from local MP, David MacLeod, which I think helped Minister Penk to ensure LINZ was compassionate around suspending the rent after the closure. It wasn’t until March 2025 that we found out by OIA that the mould of concern was visibly present in detailed property reports and photographs dating back to 2019. If I’d known that in February, the way we approached the media side of things could have been very different. There really was plenty of evidence to show that no new mould had materialised in the last six years, but the mould that existed in 2019 may have become more established in that time. The case highlights the incredible firepower of ECC – when a centre is in extreme trouble ECC can be very helpful. We contacted the local public health authority and ensured information and guidance was provided for families and staff about the health risks associated with black mould. Everyone treated the potential risk to health and safety seriously. We engaged an expert company in mould assessment, using our wide networks of contacts. This helped to explain how LINZ had been able to terminate the lease on suspicion of black mould – there is no established industry standard on testing for black mould. Essentially, if you have water damage or there is visible mould then it could be black mould. That’s all it takes. We embarked on awareness raising across our membership – to stop others falling into the same trap. That is one of the reasons why we are telling the story today in Swings & Roundabouts – so everyone who reads our magazine knows. Definitely fix leaky windows and roofs promptly, and take an industrial-level cleaning approach to visible mould and its precursors (dampness). And think carefully about self-reporting yourself to LINZ (if they’re your landlord they’ll do nothing about it) or to MoE (they are still very good at closing centres down with any sniff of a risk). You might be thinking that due to the flimsy mould evidence, this closure should have been avoided? Unfortunately the MoE’s wide discretion and the Waitara centre’s strong commitment to the safety of their mokopuna and teachers means they were always going to cooperate with the closure pathway. If I got to do this one again I’d do it differently. We would have strongly objected to the proposal to close the LINZ-leased site. We have to remember how quickly it all happened. I suspect the Waitara team would have done it differently too. Another important fact is that the LINZ site wasn’t going to be suitable forever. Plans did need to be made for a new centre. This didn’t have to be achieved in the manner LINZ did it. While centre-poor the Waitara team is community rich, and we’re calling for more supporters to come forward, especially funders. A permanent site has been located now and the Waitara centre team are in the process of raising the required capital to complete the work and building. So today ECC is encouraging funders to make contact with the subcommittee working on the new centre and individuals can contribute towards the planning process costs through this Givealittle page: https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/waitarachildcare-centre-needs-your-help July 2025 { 13 }
Operation Zero Waste By Jenny Harris, Centre Manager, Borman Village Kids I am an avid nature lover. Growing up in Auckland I yearned for a life in the country. As an adult I love my rural home with veggie gardens and chickens. One thing which attracted me to Borman Village Kids was the part of our philosophy about sustainability (it was the part right at the bottom of our philosophy statement, a grand intention with no plan). But despite my values, the life of convenience and disposability was justified by my own busyness. I mean, I didn’t do nothing for sustainability. I stopped buying craft supplies like foam shapes and glitter because we all know where artwork goes after the fridge. We used ‘compostable’ nappies which kept my conscience clean. But ashamedly, we were doing some things which were just lazy, like sending recyclables to landfill. In November 2023 I attended a hui with the Hamilton City Council’s waste minimisation team. We learnt that everything which goes to landfill doesn’t decompose, even the compostable nappies my conscience was hanging on. However, I was inspired hearing how a local centre reduced their landfill to nil. I realised it was possible to be a sustainable ECE centre and I knew this to be important. This was the ignition of our internal evaluation “Operation Zero Waste 2024!” With newfound beliefs, I set to bringing my team, community and tamariki on this journey. Our team leaders were overwhelmingly passionate about sustainability and led their teams to plan manageable changes in each room and design a local curriculum rich in sustainable practices. First, we tackled the easy big waste items. Paper towels were replaced by Mum 2 Mum face washers; I purchased 300. A week later another hundred, then six months later another hundred. 500 is just enough for our 80 children and 18 staff. We repurposed rubbish bins into used hand-towel bins and purchased baskets to hold the clean towels. If we ran out of hand towels, we would hang a bath towel in the bathroom till the next load dried. To keep this amount of washing manageable we have a ‘no fold’ policy. Then we started recycling, sourcing a 240L commingle recycle bin for paper, plastic and tins. This surprisingly was not big enough and boxes need to be taken to the refuse transfer centre regularly. Kaiako Tash and I began taking home food waste to feed to our chickens. Team Leader Bron started a worm farm and sparked an ongoing project with the tamariki, reusing milk bottles to collect worm wees which whanau take home for their gardens. The toddler team made recycled paper and created wildflower seed bombs. The preschool team has Adopted a Drain which they keep clean to protect our streams and sparked learning about native wildlife and exploring local wetlands. The big scary change for me was switching to reusable nappies. I expected this to be controversial but whānau and kaiako support July 2025 { 14 }
has been positive. We applied for and were granted funding through Hamilton City Council’s waste minimisation fund, with which we remodelled our laundry adding a second Washer-Dryer. After trialling different reusable nappies, we decided on local company Bear and Moo and we found beautiful pull ups from Kekoa. Both these companies offer wholesale discounts which made reusables affordable. Infant kaiako Jess uses reusables at home and she shared her expertise and refined our washing routines. On Friday 15 November I felt a great sense of satisfaction as I unscrewed all the paper towel holders from the walls. This week we are removing all our rubbish bins and replacing them with recycle stations, and reusable nappies are arriving daily. Now sustainability sits at the top of our philosophy statement. We are committed to this journey! Six months on…….. It’s been six months since we fully embraced our zero-landfill journey and the switch to reusable nappies has been a game-changer. What once felt daunting has become part of our rhythm. Washing takes minutes, and stuffing nappies has become a positive social ritual called "nappy chats" where we fold and stuff while connecting, catching up and sometimes have meetings. Our nappies stay fresh and clean, rooms smell better, and we've even seen drastically fewer winter illnesses. Best of all, we never run out, and endless ordering and unboxing is gone. If we’d known how simple and rewarding this was, we’d have started sooner! July 2025 { 15 }
14 - 16 August 2025 | Distinction Hotel, Rotorua Igniting the Fire Within ECC Conference 2025: Get ready for a transformative three-day event dedicated to inspiring and empowering leaders in the early learning sector. Recharge your professional energy while learning and connecting with people like you.
TIME SESSION 9:30am Registrations open 10:30am Conference opening Mihi Whakatau, Mayor Tania Tapsell and a word from the ECC President 11:00am It’s a Sh*t Show Out There, But You Don’t Have To Be Miraka Davies 12:00pm Lunch sponsored by Gallagher Insurance 1:00pm Address from the Associate Minister of Education Hon. David Seymour 2:00pm Embracing Neurodiversity: Unlocking Strengths and Supporting Success Julie Houghton-Katipa, Massey University Reigniting Professional Passion: Leading with the Refreshed Standards Rose-Anne London, Teaching Council The Secrets of Successful Centres Sue Kurtovich, Kurtovich Consulting Professional Learning Resources Chelsea Bracefield, New Zealand Tertiary College 3:30pm Welcome Reception sponsored by Discover by Xplor 5:30pm Centre Tours Igniting the Fire Within ECC Conference 2025 TIME SESSION 9:00am Your Oarsome Adventure Kevin Biggar 10:00am Morning Tea 10:30am Panel: Embracing AI and Emerging Technologies in an ECE Setting Panellists include Himal Randeniya, Jamie Green & Simon Laube 12:00pm Lunch 1:00pm Unlock the Magic of Dramatic Play Preety Sehgal, Coactive Education Preparing for an MoE Funding Audit Kelly Grootjans & Rebecca Cook, Ministry of Education Inspiring Excellence: How to Lead Learning in ECE Teams Bridgit Williams, InspirED ECE Connecting, Sharing, And Growing: Social Media Strategies For Early Childhood Centres Jodine McIntyre, Social Smarty 2:30pm Afternoon Tea 3:00PM Childcare Customer Opportunities - Navigating Growth Mita Bedi 4:00pm Off-site Activities: Choose from the gondola and luge at Skyline Rotorua, a soak at Polynesian Spa, the Redwoods Treewalk or a thrilling ride at Velocity Valley! Thursday 14 August Friday 15 August July 2025 { 18 }
TIME SESSION 8:30am Morning Reset Meditation Courtney Buckley 9:00am What Lights Your Fire? - Creating Hopeful Futures for our Tamariki Derek Wenmoth 10:00am Morning Tea 10:30am Bringing Your PGC to Life: The Power of Relational Leadership Melody Stuckey, InterLEAD Exploring ERO’s ECE Improvement Framework Sandra Collins & Lisa Oldridge, Education Review Office Navigating Staff Illness or Injury within the Workplace Grace Adeyinka-Fayomi & Scott Balloch, Black Door Law Know Your Numbers: Financial Literacy in ECE Mark Salmon, Rubiix Accountants 12:00pm Lunch 1:00pm Ahi Ihi Wehi Wana: The fire, the force, the feeling, the thrill of working together! Laurayne Tafa, TafaEd Developing a Positive Culture Within your Centre Jo Bagley, ECE Consultancy Services Nurturing Wellbeing: Mindfulness for Early Childhood Educators Grant Rix, Pause Breathe Smile Ready, Set, Discover! Verity Coleman & Douglas Smith, Discover by Xplor 2:30pm Afternoon Tea 3:00PM Leading for the Future Ana Ivanovic-Tongue 4:00pm Prize draw and conference close 7:00pm ‘Fire & Ice’ Gala Dinner and ECC Awards Evening sponsored by New Zealand Tertiary College Conference Programme ECC Conference 2025 Saturday 16 August July 2025 { 19 }
Miraka Davies Keynote Speakers ECC Conference 2025: Miraka Davies (previously Shelly Davies) is an author, speaker, and coach of Māori descent, known internationally for her unconventional and irresistible work in the field of plain language and clear communications. Part rockstar, part wordsmith, 100% badass, Miraka teaches others how to break all the rules and give themselves the permission to live their wildest dreams. Hon. David Seymour Hon David Seymour is Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Regulation, and the Associate Minister of Health, Finance, Education, and Justice. First elected by his Epsom Electorate neighbours in 2014, he has now been elected four times. That same year, he became ACT’s leader, bringing renewed energy and focus to the party. Kevin BIggar If you ever thought that you couldn’t do it Kevin is living proof of whatever the mind can believe, it can achieve. From the comfort of his couch, Kevin dared to dream and set himself some goals that for most of us would be outrageous. Described as adventurous determined and goal driven, his journey proves that he is all that and – and more! Mita Bedi Mita is a Customer Experience Specialist, thought leader, CEO, and Co-Founder of Resonate CX. With more than 20 years of international experience in business consulting, Mita has been part of leading transformational programs that help drive revenue and competitive advantage using customer strategy. She has lived and worked as a global citizen in the UK, Singapore, and Italy. Derek Wenmoth Derek is regarded as one of NZ’s foremost Future Focused thinkers in education. He works extensively with educators across all areas of the education sector as they seek to prepare students for their future. He also consults with policy makers and government agencies regarding the future directions of NZ educational policy and practice. Ana Ivanovic-Tongue Ana is passionate about lifelong learning and helping people with the skills and confidence needed to thrive in a world in constant motion. She believes AI represents the biggest disruption and opportunity of our century, and wants to be part of the conversation that influences what that means for New Zealand and where we take it in terms of innovation. All sessions delivered exclusively for the ECC Conference 2025. For full programme information head to https://bit.ly/46HvC6r July 2025 { 20 }
Workshop Presenters ECC Conference 2025: Julie Houghton-Katipa Embracing Neurodiversity: Unlocking Strengths and Supporting Success in Early Childhood Rose-Anne London Reigniting Professional Passion: Leading with the Refreshed Standards Sue Kurtovich The Secrets of Successful Centres Chelsea Bracefield Professional Learning Resources Preety Sehgal Unlock the Magic of Dramatic Play! Jo Bagley Developing a Positive Culture Within your Centre Bridgit Williams Inspiring Excellence: How to Lead Learning in ECE Teams Jodine McIntyre Connecting, Sharing, And Growing: Social Media Strategies For Early Childhood Centres Melody Stuckey Bringing Your PGC to Life: The Power of Relational Leadership Sandra Collins & Lisa Oldridge Exploring ERO’s ECE Improvement Framework Grace Adeyinka-Fayomi (p) & Scott Balloch Navigating Staff Illness or Injury Within the Workplace Mark Salmon Know Your Numbers: Financial Literacy in ECE Laurayne Tafa Ahi Ihi Wehi Wana: The fire, the force, the feeling, the thrill of working together! Kelly Grootjans & Rebecca Cook Preparing for an MoE Funding Audit Grant Rix Nurturing Wellbeing: Mindfulness for Early Childhood Educators Verity Coleman & Douglas Smith Ready, Set, Discover! July 2025 { 21 }
Thursday 14 August Proudly sponsored by Discover by Xplor Kick off the conference by reconnecting with old friends and meeting new faces. The Welcome Reception sets a relaxed, friendly tone for the days ahead, with light refreshments and a chance to explore the exhibition area. Gala Dinner and ECC Awards Saturday 16 August Proudly sponsored by New Zealand Tertiary College Get ready to ignite your night at our Fire and Ice Gala Dinner! Celebrate and reward excellence in the ECE sector at our annual awards evening. You'll be treated to a delicious dinner, a drink and live entertainment from band Third Space alongside the awards. Don’t miss the most unforgettable night of the conference! Social Events ECC Conference 2025: We believe professional growth goes hand-in-hand with building your network and having fun! Alongside our impressive keynotes and workshops, we are proud to present a selection of events to accompany this year’s conference. We encourage all delegates to make the most of our social events programme. Welcome Reception Centre Tours Thursday 14 August The popular ECC Centre Tours are back for another year! These tours take attendees around visiting and meeting the people behind these early learning centres in Rotorua: The Orchard Childcare Ngongotaha Early Learning Centre Rotorua Childcare Centre Off-Site Activities Friday 15 August This year delegates will have the opportunity to get out and explore the best of what Rotorua has to offer! Our range of activities have something to offer everyone. All included in your delegate registration, so you don’t need to worry about making any bookings. Choose from the following: Skyline Rotorua Polynesian Spa Redwoods Treewalk Velocity Valley July 2025 { 22 }
Not just Tarps. Smart, simple solutions. Kaingaroa Forest School made our team feel really welcome when we went onsite to install a new shade sail structure above their play area, giving students sun protection and helping keep them outdoors and active throughout the year. We’re not sure who enjoyed the diggers and construction more - the KFS whānau or the “big kids” (us). But we do know they were really happy with the job: Thanks Kaingaroa Forest School - stay safe and enjoy your learning and your play. If you need to create some shade or shelter for your students (or make changes or repairs to existing structures) please get in touch. We can help with that. Klint Brittain-Freemantle, Specialised Products, Shade/Shelter & Flood 021 847 535 | klint@tarpmakers.co.nz Tarpaulin Makers (B.O.P) Ltd | 0800 827 762 | www.tarpmakers.co.nz Creating Shade and Shelter for Safer Learning and Play. bodhi_ltd July 2025 { 23 }
Setting children up for literacy success By joy allcock, director code-ed Learning to read and write in English is complex, but we can make sure children are ready for literacy learning by helping them acquire essential foundational skills. Children develop these skills through play, talk and interactions with their environments. We have an opportunity in early childhood education to ensure that all children start their literacy journey equipped with the skills and knowledge they need for literacy success. How Children Learn From the moment a child is born they are learning about the world. They experience the world through their senses - through what they see, what they hear, what they feel on their skin, what they smell, what they taste, and how they experience their body moving. With time and experience moving about in the world, children develop an awareness of their bodies and how to manage them safely and expertly. They learn to interpret information and adapt the way they operate their bodies in the world. Children are hard-wired to explore, experiment and learn, but they need environments that provide opportunities and experiences which help them along this learning journey. They need to feel safe to try new things, to fail and try again. It is through these kinds of interactions with their environments that children develop the skills and abilities they need for integrating and interpreting the information they constantly receive from the world around them. The platform for all learning depends on having opportunities to acquire and integrate the following groups of skills, along with lots of practice using them: Gross motor skills are actions performed by the large groups of muscles that control our arms, legs, and torsos, allowing us to roll, sit, stand, walk, run, keep our balance, and change the position of our bodies. Fine motor skills are performed by the small muscles in our hands and wrists, allowing us to use eating utensils, manipulate toys, use scissors, manipulate a pencil. Fine motor skills are complex and depend on mastery of gross motor skills. July 2025 { 24 }
Cognitive skills allow us to think, learn, problem-solve, persevere, understand, remember, reason, and pay attention. Language skills allow us to communicate with others using verbal and non-verbal language. Children learn language through hearing it spoken and used around them. Social skills allow us to interact with others, build relationships, understand and respond to the feelings of others, and function appropriately in social settings. The learning journey that all children embark on from the day they are born is the foundation for learning throughout their lives. A lack of opportunities to develop and practice these skills can have ripple effects that affect later learning opportunities. A child who has not mastered control of gross motor skills for example, will not have control of fine motor skills. Activities like cutting with scissors and writing with a pencil will be difficult or impossible. A child who has not been exposed to language-rich environments will not have the confidence to communicate verbally. The opportunities, experiences, and learning environments we provide children at home and in early childhood education build the foundations for everything. The Foundations for Literacy To be successful with literacy learning children need specific skills and knowledge which conventional literacy instruction builds upon. There is a lot we can do to ensure that these precursors for literacy are in place before children receive formal literacy instruction. How Written English Works Written English is an alphabetic language. This simply means that we use letters to represent the sounds that make up in words. We produce spoken words by putting sounds together in a particular sequence. Putting /k/ /a/ /t/ together makes cat, /g/ /ō/ /t/ makes goat, /h/ /or/ /s/ makes horse. The way we use letters to represent these sounds creates an alphabetic code. We use letters on their own or in combinations to write the sounds in words. We use c, a, t to write the /k/ /a/ /t/ sounds in cat; g, o-a, t to write the /g/ /ō/ /t/ sounds in goat; h, o-r, s-e to write the /h/ /or/ /s/ sounds in horse. Letters do not ‘make sounds’ - they write or represent sounds. Learning to read and write in English starts with understanding words, sounds, and letters. Understanding Words The foundation for literacy is language. Written English is simply a map of spoken words. Children’s understanding of written words is limited to or by their knowledge of spoken words. They need to hear words spoken and repeated millions of times (vocabulary breadth). They need to understand the meaning and use of thousands of words (vocabulary depth, receptive language). They need to be able to use thousands of words to communicate (expressive language), understand vocabulary (semantics; the meaning of words), use grammar (syntax; the way words are ordered and used), and grasp the social use of language (pragmatics; knowing when and how to use certain kinds of language). The sophistication of a child’s oral language skills determines the sophistication of their literacy skills. Building oral language skills has the greatest impact on future literacy success. In early childhood this means helping children develop vocabulary knowledge and language skills so they can become confident using language to describe and compare things, explain things, ask and answer questions and share their ideas and feelings. We can help children develop language through conversation, listening to stories, singing songs, and playing language games. Understanding Sounds Because the alphabetic code is a map of the sounds in words, learning to hear and pronounce sounds and sound patterns in words (phonological awareness) is a critical skill for learning to read and write in English. In early childhood this means helping children hear and clap syllables in words, identify and produce rhyming words, hear the same sound in different words and in different positions in words, and put sound chunks and sounds together to make words. We can help children develop phonological awareness through listening to rhyming stories and poetry, singing songs, and playing sound games. Understanding Letters Understanding how letters are used to write words means learning that words are made of sounds and that sounds are written with letters (understanding the alphabetic principle). In early childhood this means helping children recognise and name the letters of the alphabet, and link letters and letter patterns to sounds. We can do this by linking letters to sounds in words children know, like their names. We can show them that the same sound can be written with July 2025 { 25 }
different letters, i.e. Kate, Cameron and Chris all start with /k/ but Kate has a K, Cameron has a C, and Chris has a Ch to write their /k/ sound. We can show them that the same letter can sound different. What does Amy’s A sound like? /ā/ for Amy. What does Andrew’s A sound like? /a/ for Andrew. What does Anaru’s A sound like? /u/ for Anaru. When they are ready, children can learn to write the letters in their names, learning to form one letter at a time until it is mastered, before learning the next one. They need to be taught to use correct letter formation and to use a capital letter for the first letter and lowercase letters for the rest. When children start school with good oral communication skills, able to hear sounds and sound patterns in words, and able to recognise letters and know that they represent the sounds that make up words, they will be set up for success as they learn to read and write. After seeing how successful Joy Allcock's literacy programme is in Queen Margaret Junior School, the Preschool teaching team decided to trial implementation of Key About the Author Joy is a researcher, author and PD facilitator in the field of literacy. Originally trained as an occupational therapist, she spent several years working with children in medical and psychiatric settings before becoming mum to four young sons. Playcentre involvement and working as a primary school teacher aide helped her learn about early education, particularly reading, writing and spelling. Joy completed her Master of Education degree in 2000 and has since developed and researched an approach to teaching literacy that accelerates success for children from preschool to secondary. Email publications@ecc.org.nz and tell us briefly what you’re currently doing in your centre to support children’s literacy learning, and you’ll go in the draw to win a Key Foundations resourcepack! Foundations with our 3- and 4-year-olds: “After only one month of introducing the programme, we were able to observe evidence of children’s literacy learning during their play, particularly their phonics knowledge and ability to break words into syllables by ‘clapping’. Having specific programme resources for parents to take home has been a huge benefit for our children. Parents feel confident reinforcing literacy learning at home using the strategies that are consistent with what we use in the preschool and are also lots of fun.” Key Foundations (for educators) and Key Foundations At Home (for families) help young children develop the core skills needed before learning to read and write. ✅ Easy-to-use activities ✅ Build oral language, sound awareness & letter knowledge Perfect for ECE teachers, new entrant classrooms & home learning Build the Foundations for Literacy! DON’T MISS THE Code Ed Webinar Series — practical sessions for ECE and New Entrant educators, parents and families, to support building the foundations for literacy. Learn more at info@code-ed.co.nz July 2025 { 26 }
Child Safeguarding Week Parenting in a Digital World 8 - 14 September 2025 Child Safeguarding Week is the annual campaign of Safeguarding Children, focusing on protecting children and supporting those who care for them. This years’ campaign aims to offer clear, practical tools and up-to-date information to help families navigate the digital world with confidence. As technology continues to evolve, many parents and caregivers feel unsure about how to keep children safe online. Early childhood educators are ideally placed to support, empower and share knowledge that can help whānau keep their children safe. www.childsafeguardingweek.org.nz Sign up for early access to a range of free resources created to support both early childhood education professionals and families. A key highlight is a free e-learning course for parents, which explores the effects of screen time on brain development and how digital distractions can impact parenting.
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