Future of Pacific Children a Government Priority

Ensuring children get a good start in life is a high priority for the new coalition Government, the Minister of Pacific Island Affairs Mark Gosche said today.

Mr Gosche is meeting with Pacific early childhood educators in Hamilton today to learn first-hand the challenges educators face trying to provide quality childhood education.

“Early childhood education is the foundation of the educational and social development of our young people and it is imperative that Pacific children are not disadvantaged from the beginning of their school life."

The Government intends to review the criteria for funding early childhood education to ensure that Pacific peoples are not unfairly disadvantage Pacific peoples and to provide assistance for language nests to be established and achieve Ministry of Education standards. The Government also wants to look at how the type of facilities that can be made available to Pacific communities for early childhood education centres.

“I am very concerned about the sort of unsuitable facilities, like garages, some communities are having to use to school their children,” he said.

“Pacific peoples are the fastest growing population in Aotearoa New Zealand, their future is a key part of the nation's future. That is why the start our children get in life is so important,” he said.

ENDS

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