ECE staffing

Statistics on staffing in the ECE sector, including tables on numbers and characteristics of ECE teachers.

Overview of ECE teaching staffUpdated: March 2026

In 2025, compared to 2024:

  • the number of teaching staff increased by 1%,
  • the number of home-based educators increased by 0.6%,
  • the retention rate for permanent teaching staff increased by 2 percentage points.

Compared to 2019:

  • the number of teaching staff had increased by 5%,
  • the number of home-based educators decreased by 52%, and
  • the retention rate increased by 4 percentage points.

The ECE teaching staff indicator report presents three indicators of teaching staff in the early learning sector. The data used in these indicators are collected through the ECE Census.

ECE census summaryUpdated: December 2025

The Early Childhood Education (ECE) census is administered every year and provides a snapshot of high level statistics for early learning in New Zealand. Data captured is for a one week period, typically the last week in June, and includes information about the services, enrolment/attendance numbers, teaching staff and the use of languages.

The following documents give an overview of key findings from the latest ECE census.


The tables below provide statistics on the number of teaching staff and educators in ECE services. These include interactive pivot tables which allow you to create your own tables by any combination of variables available and time-series files which are pre-made tables which centre on key statistics.

Please note:

From 2014 the Early Learning Information (ELI) system was introduced to capture data electronically resulting in some definition changes, including how teaching staff are defined. In ELI the count includes all teaching staff who had contact with children during census week (including relievers and temporary staff). Prior to 2014, the paper-based form RS61 excluded relievers and temporary staff from its count. Therefore numbers are likely to be higher from 2014 and caution needs to be taken when comparing data collected pre and post 2014.

In 2022, 90% of licensed ECE services submitted their ECE returns through ELI. Only Te Kōhanga Reo, casual and hospital-based services submitted paper-based RS61 return.

Teaching staffUpdated: December 2025

Numbers of teaching staff within licensed teacher-led ECE services by type of service, full-time, part time, qualification and registration status.

Teaching staff turnoverUpdated: December 2025

Teaching staff turnover looks at the rate at which permanent teaching staff are leaving early learning services. Teaching staff turnover rate looks at the percentage of permanently employed teachers that were employed at an early learning service in a previous year that are no longer employed in the current year, compared with the total number of teaching staff permanently employed at an early learning service in the previous year.

Pivot table: Teaching staff turnover

This workbook allows you to create your tables by any combination of variables. It includes the option of displaying teaching staff turnover statistics by teaching staff characteristics (such as qualification status) and early learning service characteristics (such as region).

Time series: Teaching staff turnover

These workbooks provide teaching staff turnover statistics (numbers of teaching staff and rates), broken down into a range of teaching staff demographics, early learning service characteristics, and regional type variables.

Numbers of teaching staff counted in turnover are supplied in the first workbook, and turnover rates are supplied in the second.

Attestation of certificated teachers' salariesUpdated: 2 June 2026

Responses provided by education and care and hospital-based services to the Attestation of Certificated Teachers' Salaries section of the RS7 return. Services who attest to meeting certain salary conditions are entitled to higher rates of funding.

Most recent attestation report

Historic attestation reports

Home-based educators Updated: December 2025

Numbers of educators within home-based ECE services by gender and other regional type variables.

Early childhood education remuneration summaryUpdated: February 2021

Between August and October 2020, Strategic Pay ran a survey of staff remuneration at education and care services, kindergartens, and home-based services. The average annual salary for a qualified teacher at an education & care service is $55,964, compared to $72,880 for qualified teachers at a kindergarten.

The following document gives a summary of the results of this survey.