MIGRANT NEWS Sept 2023

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Support for childcare costs brings
immense relief to migrant families.
AUCKLAND –
During the current
cost-of-living crisis
migrants are finding
that childcare costs
are adding to their
financial woes. This
can be attributed to the
fact that more
migrants have children
under the age of
five than people born
in New Zealand,
according to the 2018
NZ Census.
In addition, growing
migrant communities
are increasing the
demand for early
childhood education,
which has already
seen prices rise alongside
the cost of living.
The findings of a
recent survey suggest
that New Zealand’s
childcare is among the
most expensive in the
world, according to
Dr Aisling Gallagher,
a Senior
Lecturer in Social
Geography at Massey
University, who
wrote an article on the
subject in ‘The
Conversation’ in
March this year.
Against this backdrop
migrants are
responding positively
to the government’s
'no frills' budget announced
on the 18th of May. One of
the key measures in the
budget is an increase in
funding for early childhood
education. The increase will
ensure that early education
remains affordable and
accessible for all families.
“This Budget helps ease
cost of living pressures by
significantly reducing the
cost of early childhood education
for parents by extending
20 hours free ECE, that
is currently only available to
3-5 year olds, to two year
olds,” said Education
Minister Jan Tinetti.
“Childcare is one of the
biggest costs families face,
so extending 20 hours free
ECE to two year olds will
make a big difference.
“Based on average costs in
2023, families who were not
previously receiving childcare
subsidies would save an
estimated $133.20 a week in
childcare costs if a two year
old child attended ECE for at
BUDGET
2023
least 20
hours a
week.”
T h e
extension
of the 20
hours free
ECE subsidy
comes
at a cost of
$1.2 billion over four years
and will be available from 1
March 2024.
Migrants working in the
early childhood education
industry can also look forward
to an increase in funding
to lift the pay for teachers.
The new funding will
address the pay disparity
between early childhood
education workers and their
counterparts in kindergartens.
“We are also making an
additional $322 million
available to ECE services to
lift the pay for teachers to
help them move towards
parity with their counterparts
in kindergartens,” Jan Tinetti
said.
“In some circumstances
this could amount to an
increase of $14,762 or 18.6
percent.
“This is not just an issue of
fairness. The sector has told
us that inequitable pay
between comparable roles
causes a range of issues for
(top to bottom)
Nanette Carillo,
Ezra Paz and Kamal
Prasad Shrestha.
By Ricky Matthew
education and care services,
such as teacher shortages
and staff retention,” Jan
Tinetti said.
There was a positive reaction
to the 20 hours free ECE
subsidy amongst ethnic
community leaders who
attended a Post Budget
Forum on 2nd June at the
Fickling Convention Centre
in Auckland. Many believed
that the subsidy would bring
immense relief for migrant
families.
“Things have changed in
the Nepalese community in
Aotearoa,” said Kamal
Prasad Shrestha, President
of the Nepalese Cultural
Centre NZ Inc. “Unlike in
the past, kids are now being
sent to
kindergartens.
One reason
is
because
some parents
have
to work.
The other
reason is
that parents
feel
that it is
good that
children
go to the
kindergarten as they can
learn a lot there to broaden
their knowledge.”
Nanette Carillo, a council
member of the Asian
Network Inc., echoed these
feelings. “Most families will
welcome this support from
the government. Many parents
are struggling to find a
reliable person to look after
their children. They believe
that childcare centres offer
their kids a safe and healthy
environment.”
A participant at the Forum
put forward an alternative
suggestion to the Labour
Ministers at the Forum. “So,
don't you think that instead
of decreasing the age for eligibility
for childcare to two
years old, we could have
increased the number of
hours offered to kids
between three and five
years. Instead of the current
20 hours available to this age
group, it could have been
increased to 25 or 30 hours.
“That would make more
sense and it would have been
very well received by the
ethnic communities.
Because, from my understanding,
in the ethnic communities
we like to keep our
kids in a bubble up to the age
of three.”
The Minister of Ethnic
Affairs, Priyanca Radhakrishnan,
responded by
saying that many women
have mentioned to her that
the high cost of childcare
has been a barrier to choosing
to return to work. “So,
there is a clear benefit that
also pertains to women from
our ethnic communities as
well.”
“Migrants are giving the
thumbs up to the government’s
support for childcare
costs,” says Sheila
Mariano, a Filipino community
leader. “If only this
level of assistance was available
when my children were
growing up. The high cost of
childcare prevents mothers
from getting back into the
workforce to supplement the
family income.”
Some mothers, like Ezra
Paz, feel that the allocation
of the funds could have been
more flexible. “I really
believe that children should
spend more time with their
parents,” says Paz. “I really
do. I think that if I were to
have a choice, if they give
the money to the mum then
I’d look after the child as
long as I can. Because that’s
how it should be. To remove
them from their mother at a
younger age is not realistic.
“When you are a mum and
you’ve been working all day,
you get home and you
haven’t got anything left for
your family. My relationship
with my husband suffered. I
was working as a relief
teacher full time and I would
come home tired and I
would have nothing left for
my family. Why have children
when you don’t look
after them at home?”