The ECE Funding Review Must Start With Children Not EconomicsBy Dr Lynley Tulloch, Lecturer in Early Childhood Education at Auckland University of Technology and Co-President (Tangata Tiriti), OMEP Aotearoa New ZealandRight now, the Government is deciding the future of early childhood education in Aotearoa. Through its current funding review, it is considering how more than $3.1 billion of public funding should be invested and what priorities should shape early childhood education for years to come. Recent discussion surrounding the funding review has increasingly described early childhood education as a merit good rather than a public good. This understanding supports the idea of free, high-quality early childhood education that is universally available to every child. The public call to respond to the New Zealand Early Childhood Education (ECE) funding system review is open, with feedback closing on 6 August 2026.