Labour leader Phil Goff says Maori will be particularly hard hit by $400 million in cuts to early childhood education.
He says Labour has surveyed more than 400 early childhood centres about the cut in the subsidy which was intended to increase the number of trained teachers.
Mr Goff told Waatea News that the message has come back that fees will need to rise on average by 20%, participation levels will fall and the number of qualified teachers will drop.
He said more than 1000 Maori and Pacific children will be denied early childhood education because of the cuts.
