Playcentre Welcomes New Education Minister

Playcentre Welcomes New Education Minister

New Zealand Playcentre Federation
Thursday, October 20th, 2005

Playcentre Welcomes New Education Minister

The New Zealand Playcentre Federation has welcomed the announcement of the new Minister of Education, Mr. Steve Maharey. "Mr. Maharey has shown a passion for education, and we look forward to working with him to improve the education of young children in New Zealand", announced Mrs. Robynn Kopua, President of the New Zealand Playcentre Federation.

"We are particularly anticipating the review of Playcentre funding which Labour has promised will occur early in the new term of government. Parent-led services such as Playcentre could be severely impacted by some of the new Early Childhood Education policies introduced recently, and we welcome the review so that Playcentre children will continue to have the same access to high quality education as other New Zealand children."

In a letter sent to Playcentres on September 13th, Mr. Trevor Mallard, the previous Minister of Education, made a strong commitment to the support of Playcentres and a recognition of the value of parents as educators of their children. He also announced Labour's commitment to ensure "that the contribution that [Playcentres] make to the early childhood education sector is appropriately recognised."

"We are looking forward to working with Mr Maharey to resolve these issues," said Mrs Kopua, "We believe that this is a wonderful opportunity to make a real difference for children in New Zealand."
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