A new Unicef report on childcare rates the quality of services available in New Zealand as third best out of 41 wealthier nations, but also among the most unaffordable.
Overall, this country ranks 33rd for childcare services, with New Zealand also near the bottom of the list for the amount of paid parental leave provided, and 27th for access to services.
Luxembourg tops the table, followed by Iceland, Sweden and Norway, with the first large country on the list being Germany in fifth spot. The UK is at 35, Australia 37, and the US 40.
The report published on Friday ranks countries based on national childcare and paid parental leave policies, including accessibility, affordability and quality of childcare for children from birth to school age.
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Factors supporting the quality of New Zealand childcare included a child-to-staff ratio of 6.5, and the requirement that early childhood education (ECE) teachers have a minimum qualification of a bachelors degree, Unicef said.
But when it comes to childcare affordability, a couple on average income in New Zealand needed to spend more than a third of one salary to pay for two children in full-time childcare. That was second-highest out of the 41 countries, behind Switzerland.
This country rated a little better when it comes to childcare costs for a low income single parent, with Unicef calculating that in New Zealand they need to spend 14.9 per cent of their income.
In this country, parents were entitled to 20 hours of free ECE per week for children aged 3-5, Unicef said. Near the top of the table, Denmark had unconditional free access to ECE, starting from before the age of one and lasting up to five.
The report ranks the quality of services available in New Zealand as third best out of 41 wealthier nations.
There were concerns the cost of childcare in New Zealand meant tamariki may be missing out on their right to access quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education, Unicef said.
Unicef NZ said it commended the Governments moves in recent years to increase the amount of paid parental leave to 26 weeks.
Paid parental leave available to the primary carer of a child rose to 26 weeks from July 2020. It can be split between parents, and is worth a maximum of $606.46 a week before tax.
Unicef calculated the amount provided in New Zealand was equal to 8.4 weeks of a mothers full pay. That was the fifth-lowest among the countries in the survey.
New Zealand was also one of just four countries with no paid parental leave for fathers, although in most countries the amount provided for fathers was much lower than that for mothers.
Japan was an exception, with mothers having 36 weeks of fully-paid parental leave and partners 30.
Unicef said it advocated for at least six months of paid leave for parents, yet only half of the countries in the report offered 30 weeks or more leave at full pay for mothers.
Unicef NZ CEO Michelle Sharp said that in this country her organisations aim was to build on the increase in paid parental leave in recent years.
A high priority was to get the 20 hours of free ECE per week extended to also cover one and two-year-olds, rather than just being provided from the age of three until children started school, as happened now.
Unicef would like to see New Zealand introduce targets for increasing paid parental leave, along with ECE affordability and accessibility, in the same way as targets had been set for child poverty, Sharp said.
Introducing targets could help show the impact of new measures, and help decide future priorities.
There were concerns the cost of childcare in New Zealand meant tamariki may be missing out on their right to access quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education, Unicef said.
Sharp said Unicef had not worked out the costs of any new childcare measures it would like to see implemented. In terms of affordability we dont rank very well, so its probably not a small number, she said.
The positive repercussions of improving childcare policies in New Zealand would be huge.
This is not just a standalone thing, Sharp said.
Theres a whole impact of more children being able to access affordable early childhood education. That included children, families and the economy thriving.
Te Khanga Reo National Trust general manager whanau learning Dr Arapera Royal Tangaere said the early childhood sector had been discussing issues highlighted in the report with the Government for some decades.
Affordability was a big issue, with the cost to families of sending children to khanga reo ranging from about $20 to $150 a week per child, she said.
While the childcare subsidy went some way to helping families on very low incomes, many of those whanau had mortgages or were paying high rents.
Khanga reo whanau were subsidising the actual costs. We have a number of families that are struggling. Often khanga will supply three meals a day for those children, and other things those families might need.
Extending the 20 hours a week free ECE to two-year-olds was the next step she wanted to see implemented, and the amount of time covered needed to be increased, she said.
A key role of khanga reo was revitalisation of the Mori language and support of whanau. Its a wrap around effect.