#whanau: Evidence-Based Learning Wins: Early Childhood Sector Welcomes ENRICH Expansion

Te Rito Maioha Early Childhood New Zealand has welcomed the Government’s decision to expand the ENRICH oral language programme, describing it as an important endorsement of evidence-based education while calling for broader investment across the entire early learning system.

The Government has committed $12.4 million to expand the ENRICH programme, developed through the Kia Tīmata Pai (Best Start) research, to support children’s oral language development from 18 months of age through to starting school.

Te Rito Maioha Chief Executive Kathy Wolfe says the investment recognises the value of high-quality research in shaping education policy and improving outcomes for tamariki.

She says oral language development is one of the strongest indicators of future educational achievement, with programmes such as ENRICH demonstrating the benefits of translating research into practical teaching strategies.

According to Wolfe, the success of ENRICH lies not simply in the programme itself, but in the skilled educators who deliver it every day.

She says meaningful conversations, responsive relationships and intentional teaching are the foundations of children’s learning, and those outcomes depend on qualified teachers having the time and resources to build strong relationships with every child.

While welcoming the additional funding, Wolfe says the Government should apply the same evidence-led approach to other areas of early childhood education, including investing in qualified teachers, improving teacher-to-child ratios and strengthening professional support across the sector.

She believes programmes alone cannot transform educational outcomes without sustained investment in the workforce that brings them to life.

The announcement has also renewed discussion about the need for greater continuity between early childhood education and primary schooling.

Wolfe says children experience learning as one continuous journey, yet policy often treats early learning and school education as separate systems.

She argues that research consistently shows oral language, responsive relationships, play-based learning and intentional teaching remain essential throughout the early years, regardless of whether children are in an early childhood centre or a primary school classroom.

Rather than introducing a new approach, Wolfe says ENRICH builds upon the principles already embedded within Te Whāriki, New Zealand’s early childhood curriculum.

Its emphasis on rich conversations, strong relationships and purposeful teaching aligns closely with the philosophy that has guided early childhood education in Aotearoa for decades.

She says future policy should better integrate existing resources, including Te Whāriki, Te Kōrerorero | Talking Together, Kōwhiti Whakapae and He Māpuna te Tamaiti, so they work together as a coherent framework for educators instead of existing as separate initiatives.

Wolfe also believes the ENRICH expansion demonstrates the value of long-term thinking in education policy.

She says education should not be subject to major changes with every election cycle and that sustained investment in proven approaches offers children, teachers and whānau greater certainty.

Looking ahead, she is calling for future decisions around curriculum development, teacher resourcing, workforce conditions, funding and transitions into school to be guided by the same commitment to evidence that underpins ENRICH.

As the programme expands nationwide, Te Rito Maioha says the announcement presents an opportunity to strengthen not only children’s oral language development but also the broader foundations of New Zealand’s education system, ensuring every tamaiti has the best possible start in life.

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