The Early Childhood Council has welcomed today’s announcement of a new Border Exemption class for up to 300 qualified teachers to enter New Zealand, and discretionary hours rising to 80.

“In a severe teacher crisis, this is a real boost,” said ECC CEO Peter Reynolds.

“This will come as a relief for providers desperate to recruit, and those who’ve already offered overseas teachers jobs but couldn’t secure MIQ spots. 80 discretionary hours will certainly help centres struggling to meet teacher / child ratios.”

“We’re keen to work with Immigration NZ to make the most of this opportunity, and make sure some pre-pandemic barriers to entry experienced in early learning don’t slow us down.”

“These are great steps, but won’t solve the teacher shortage on their own. We’d like this momentum to continue with a subsidy package for relievers and moves to attract new talent to our sector,” said Mr Reynolds.

The ECC has long advocated for early learning teacher border exemptions as one piece of the teacher shortage puzzle.

The long term effects of the shortage include the high cost of ongoing recruitment and temporary teacher costs and counter-productive competition for teachers.

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