David Seymour: Minister for Regulation on the upcoming sector review for early childhood education

The new Ministry for Regulation has announced a review of the early childhood education sector.

The minister in charge, David Seymour, says affordability, access and regulation currently weigh down the industry.

Seymour says workers in the sector are burdened by constant rules and regulations as they try to educate the nation's youngest learners.

"Fundamentally, we want people to spend less time engaged in regulatory activity, which may or may not be that useful - and more time on their core business."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now David Seymour has announced his first big regulation review
and it's the early childhood sector, which frankly needs it.
I think we would all agree. The review will include education,
health safety, child protection, food safety, buildings and workplaces, but
it's not going to look at funding levels, and the
Early Childhood Council has already welcomed it, saying the review
is a once in a generation chance to refocus early

(00:20):
childhood education. Now Minister for Regulation is David Seymour. Hi, David, Hey,
what are you trying to fix.

Speaker 2 (00:28):
The constant issues faced by people just trying to run
under early childhood education center and help young the youngest
New Zealanders reach their potential. Now, some of the crazier examples.
You know, a school was told it needed to include
an apple tree in itself and safety plan in case
an apple fell on a child. And I just make

(00:50):
the point that Isaac Newton could not have gone to
that school because it'd never have discovered gravity that way.
But more generally, about years and years of elector at
MP visiting centers in early childhood. I remember about five
years ago, has told me we have to comply with

(01:11):
three hundred and three regulations before we can open our door.
It's driving them mad, it's driving up costs, and it's
actually diluting their focus on the safety and happiness and
learning of the children.

Speaker 1 (01:25):
David, the example that you just cited about the apple tree,
that sounds like you're going to have to rework the
Health and Safety Act potentially though.

Speaker 2 (01:31):
Yeah, yeah, that's right. And the way that these sector
reviews workers, first of all, are focused on the victims
as I like to call them, or the regulated party,
which in this case is the center operators. We ask
them what is harming them, and their answers may lead
us to question will other than those made by the

(01:52):
Ministry of Education and the Education Review Office. And then
it's got to start working out how feasible it is
to change these things. You know, obviously you could end
up with a case to change employment law, health and
safety law, just about every law on the face of
the earth. So there will be a boundary, but nothing

(02:13):
is off the table at the beginning.

Speaker 1 (02:14):
Right, So you're up for changing something as big as
the Health and Safety Law, which by the way, is
a dog.

Speaker 2 (02:20):
Well, the good news about that is that Brookman, Golden
ex Deputy and also the Minister for workplace relations is
setting about doing exactly that, and I don't know where
she'll get to, but it certainly seems that we have
the worst of all worlds with enormous fear of work
safe pervading our workplace as in our national psyche, and

(02:43):
yet the number of people that don't come home is
still too high.

Speaker 1 (02:45):
You're too right, listen. So in the end, if you
are able to take out a whole bunch of this regulation,
it ultimately should bring down the cost either for the
center or for parents.

Speaker 2 (02:52):
Right, absolutely and fundamentally, we want people to spend less
time engaged in red glitary activity which may or may
not be that useful, in more time on their core business,
which in this case is helping the youngest New Zealanders
reach their potential.

Speaker 1 (03:10):
How long do you reckon this is going to take?
It sounds like a big task.

Speaker 2 (03:14):
Six months to go out and actually listen to the
people involved and consider what they're saying. At the end
of this year presents a set of proposals to cabinet,
with the onus on cabinet to accept them or say
why not, and then another six months to implement the
changes proposed.

Speaker 1 (03:35):
How are you finding being the acting Prime Minister.

Speaker 2 (03:39):
Look, it's awfully like normal life, to be honest, we
just try to get through. Not a huge amount has
changed and attempts.

Speaker 1 (03:51):
To go a bit rogue while everybody else is out
of the country, all the handbreaks on your plans.

Speaker 2 (03:57):
Well, you know, I thought about it, but I also
love what this government's delivering. We've never had a change
of government where the new government has been this aggressive
of actually making change. You know, normally they come and
don't change much. So in a way, I don't think
that much would change if I was. I'm pretty proud

(04:18):
of how much influenceerhaps I had on the government anyway.

Speaker 1 (04:20):
Right, David, Hey, thank you very much, appreciate your time
and best of lucky that David Seymour, Minister for Regulation.
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