A taskforce has been set up to look at early childhood education (ECE) funding, which Labour says will see cuts.
Education Minister Anne Tolley said the taskforce would review the effectiveness of ECE spending and come up with ideas about learning.
It would report to her next March.
Last week Labour MP Sue Moroney said she had seen the terms of reference for the review and it was a Trojan horse for cost-cutting.
"If the Government cuts its investment in early childhood education that means it will cost families more," Ms Moroney said
However Mrs Tolley said the investment in early childhood education next year would total $1.3 billion and it had to be well spent.
"It's vital this money is well spent to ensure the greatest number of children gain access to ECE and fully benefit from it," she said.
"The previous Government's ECE cost blow-out saw funding treble but the number of children in ECE grew by less than 1 percent. We owe it to New Zealand children to do better than that, particularly for our Maori and Pacific children and those in lower socio-economic backgrounds."
The taskforce would:
• review benefits from Government investments in early childhood education
• consider the efficiency and effectiveness of current ECE expenditure and possible improvements for Maori, Pasifika, and children from low socio-economic backgrounds
• develop innovative, cost effective and evidence-based ways to support children's learning in early childhood and the first years of compulsory schooling
• provide recommendations about proposed changes to funding and policy settings for early childhood education, and the costs, benefits and risks.
Taskforce members were:
• Dr Michael Mintrom, Associate Professor of Public Policy at the University of Auckland
• Dr Richie Poulton, director of the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Research Unit
• Dr Anne Smith, former director of the Children's Issues Centre at the University of Otago
• Ron Viviani, director of Pacific Guardian Childcare
• Tanya Harvey, general manager of the Auckland Kindergarten Association
• Aroaro Tamaiti, director of Te Kopae Piripono Immersion Maori Early Childhood Centre
• Laurayne Tafa, school principal of decile two Homai Primary in Manurewa
• Claire Johnstone, general manager business services at the Hutt City Council
• Peter Reynolds, Early Childhood Council chief executive.
