Peter Dunne: Oversold government policy initiatives that fall short

When it was first unveiled, the government’s extension in this year’s Budget of 20 hours free early childhood education to 2-year-olds from next March was hailed as a masterstroke. The Minister of Finance said it would save qualifying households $133 a week, no mean sum during a cost-of-living crisis, as well as benefitting significant numbers of children. At an estimated cost of $1.2 billion over four years, it seemed a well-targeted investment that would pay both a social and a political dividend.

However, it was not long before the gloss started slipping off the policy. Bold as it seemed, it would benefit only 44,000 families – just 2.3% of the total number of just over 1.9 million families in New Zealand. And then came the reaction of the early childhood education sector, pointing out that the extension could lead to fee increases for any extra hours beyond the initial 20 free hours, and increased child-to-teacher ratios leading to a lower quality of care. Others argued that while the intent of the policy was laudable, the current funding and delivery models were not fit for purpose to implement it. There was even a suggestion that some private providers might be forced to close altogether.

Lindsay Mitchell: PM's big idea is bad

My first reaction to today's following NZ Herald headline was incredulity:

One big idea - what PM Jacinda Ardern would do if money was not a factor

Why pose such a redundant proposition when governments are scrambling to spend less? Well, most governments.

But then I thought the answer might shed light on just how naive and ineffective the PM is.

Her big idea? Free early childhood education.