NZEI Te Riu Roa welcomes the decision by Auckland Council Mayor Wayne Brown to remove the closure of Kauri Kids from the list of immediate actions to be taken by Auckland Council if his proposal is accepted by the Governing Body on Thursday.

The revised proposal will put the continued provision of ECE through Kauri Kids up for consultation as part of the general budget consultation process through 2023.

“This decision follows an outpouring of community support for the Kauri Kids centres and strong opposition to the proposal to close them,” says NZEI Te Riu Roa President Liam Rutherford.

“The response to the Council’s proposal has demonstrated how important and meaningful community-based early childhood education is for communities.

“Given the valuable role that ECE plays in giving children the best possible start in life, the future of these centres should not be up for debate at all,” Mr Rutherford said.

“While this decision is a relief for Kauri Kids tamariki, whanau, and kaiako, the community around Kauri Kids centres will not give up and will continue standing up for these centres through 2023.”

The main consultation process will take place through February and March 2023, and a final vote on the future of the centres will take place in June.

NZEI Te Riu Roa will join with Kauri Kids parents and other community members at 9:30am on Thursday November 15 to show our opposition to the closure of these centres ahead of the vote on the Mayor’s proposal.

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