Paikea Kindergarten faces closure as parents call for rural ECE funding changes
Parents of tamariki at Paikea Kindergarten are calling for funding rule changes to support rural early childhood centres as their centre faces closure.
After recent low enrolment and fluctuating attendance, the kindergarten’s board has started a six-week consultation on the proposed closure from January 2027.
The centre, at Whāngārā off State Highway 35 about 30 minutes north of Gisborne, will have 17 children enrolled at the beginning of next year. Twenty have to attend daily under ECE funding models.
Some children attending the kindergarten travel from as far as Tolaga Bay.
Parent Lucy Jefferd said rural early childhood education (ECE) rolls fluctuated because of small populations, but she believed enrolments could increase again by winter 2027.
For parents seeking bilingual education, closure could leave families facing an hour-long drive to Gisborne as it is the only facility outside kōhanga reo on the East Coast. Kōhanga reo also have long waitlists.
Six parents take turns carpooling to Paikea Kindergarten to save money and fuel, but Jefferd said in the event of a closure, running a farm and doing school runs would be unrealistic for her.
“I really don’t know what we’re going to do if it closes. We are left with basically no option because I wouldn’t drive my three children an hour just to go to preschool.”
Her children could miss out on social benefits and school readiness while parents would lose the opportunity to come together in an isolated community, Jefferd said.
Parents had banded together to help boost the roll, allowing for expected absences, but she said a wider system change was needed.
The parents’ group is calling for notional rolls to be put in place for rural, isolated ECE centres.
Notional rolls are used for hospital-based services and previously for mobile kindergartens in rural areas.
Under the system, centres receive a set amount of funding based on attendance over 12 months, removing the daily attendance requirement to meet funding obligations.
Kindergartens can apply if they serve a special role in the community, can prove financial sustainability or have erratic attendance.
Paikea Kindergarten board chairwoman Rosie Whitley said weather, on-farm factors and travel made for unique attendance at rural kindergartens.
Ministry of Education support would allow the centre to stay open, boost community spirit and ensure children got a quality education, she said.
“What I’m scared about is if these kids don’t get a kindergarten that is closer to their home and they have to come into town, I don’t think that they would therefore engage sometimes in an early childhood sector.
“I couldn’t imagine a lot of parents would be willing to drive an hour and a half for their kids to go to a childcare setting in the city and then drive home and then have to go back in to get them.”
Gisborne Kindergarten Association professional leader David Spraggs said the potential closure was saddening, but under current funding models and frequent absence rules, the board could no longer cover losses.
He agreed that notional rolls would provide more appropriate funding for rural ECE centres with variable attendance and enrolment.
In addition to daily attendance, funding was allocated based on hourly attendance, which was difficult to manage in a rural setting, he said.
“We think for city kindergartens, for large town kindergartens, that’s a whole lot easier to manage, but in a rural space where whānau are travelling a reasonable distance it’s unrealistic to expect that they can all get there exactly on time.”
He encouraged whānau interested in enrolling do so now so the closure could be reversed or modified.
If the roll did not increase or a notional roll was not allowed, staff would be redeployed to other centres or made redundant.
He expected a decision to be made next month.
Ministry of Education general manager operational standards Helen Hurst said she understood why families were asking questions about funding.
“We encourage parents, whānau and community members to take part in the consultation process [for notional funding] and make sure their views - including the role the kindergarten plays in the community and future demand for places - are reflected in decision-making.”
Hurst said there was no proposal to reintroduce notional roll funding for early childhood services.
“However, the challenges faced by rural services may be considered as part of the Government’s wider review of the early childhood education funding system.”
Any changes would depend on future Government decisions, Hurst said.
The review would be delivered to the minister by the end of the year.
Associate Education Minister David Seymour said he had received a letter about the situation but could not get involved in operational matters.
Teachers and parents are holding a community open day from 10am this Saturday at Paikea Kindergarten to encourage enrolments and secure the centre’s future.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.