Piri'anga Alofa Pacific and Community Services Senior Lead Caroline Mareko spoke to media today alongside Labour's finance spokeswoman Barbara Edmonds at a press conference held at Nuanua Kindergarten in Porirua. 

Caroline reiterated the need for support to be provided in a more accessible manner. She also spoke to media about changes to regulations and qualification requirements for early childhood teachers in all services, including Pacific services.

Latest figures show that the Family Boost scheme, which refunds 25 per cent of ECE fees after three months, does not help families as much as expected. 

249 households received the full payment of $75 per week, or $3900 per year. This is only 1.2 per cent of the number expected to get the full refund – the government had said around 21,000 families would get the full amount.

Whānau Manaaki has criticised the policy as an ineffective way to support families. We believe that funding services upfront so they don’t need to charge fees is the best way to help. 

The 20 hours free for two-year-olds, which was axed by the current government, had been estimated to give every family with a child that age an extra $135 per week.

The government has defended the policy, saying it is making a difference. But Labour’s finance spokeswoman Barbara Edmonds lambasted the Government about the low uptake, saying costs were piling up on families under the coalition and “the one thing they promised to do to help is failing”.

“They promised 100,000 families would get Family Boost, but barely half that are actually getting childcare support and just 249 families are getting the full amount over the whole period.” Barbara Edmonds 

Of the 2,500 families who pay fees to our kindergartens each week, fewer than 200 have requested invoices to claim fees back under the Family Boost policy.

Families who have not claimed the rebate can still do so. Families have up to four years to make a claim. If any of your families want to do this, they should email Robyn Mareko on this address: familyboost@wmkindergartens.org.nz