What happens after an ERO review
After ERO has completed both phases of the review and considered all the information gathered, we prepare a review report. The report provides a clear picture of how well your service is meeting regulatory requirements and, where evaluated, the quality of education and care provided for children.
Review findings can help your service celebrate strengths, identify areas for improvement, and plan the next steps in its improvement journey.
The information below explains how review reports are prepared, published and shared, and what happens once the review is complete.
ERO will prepare an unconfirmed report
Using the review information, the review team will prepare an unconfirmed version of the review report and provide it to the service. This gives service leaders the opportunity to:
identify factual errors or omissions
raise questions or concerns about the report
provide clarification or relevant information to ERO before the report is finalised.
ERO considers the feedback received and makes any appropriate corrections or adjustments before confirming the report.
As part of ERO's updated review approach, we are trialing new review reports throughout September 2026. These reports are designed to provide clearer information for services, parents and whānau and will look different from previous ERO reports for early learning services.
ERO will publish a report
ERO publishes a report for every review on ERO.govt.nz. Reports are intended to be clear and useful for services and for parents and whānau of children and mokopuna attending the service.
The report may include information about:
If the service is meeting regulatory requirements
the quality of education and care evaluated during the review
areas of strength that support positive outcomes for children
areas where improvement is needed and any required actions
opportunities and priorities for ongoing improvement
what ERO recommends should happen next.
The service should focus on improvement
The review and report are only part of the story. The greatest impact comes from how a service uses the findings to strengthen practice and improve outcomes for children.
The report can be used alongside the service’s existing planning, internal evaluation, and improvement processes. It can help the service decide what to maintain, what to strengthen, and how to monitor progress over time.
When ERO returns for a future review, it will consider progress since the previous review, including what has been sustained, what has improved, and where further development is needed.
If required, ERO’s Regulatory team may work with the service
From 1 September 2026, ERO's review and regulatory functions work together to support quality, safety and positive outcomes for children and mokopuna.
Most service reviews focus on understanding what is working well, identifying opportunities for improvement, and considering how effectively the service supports children's learning, development, wellbeing and safety. This includes looking at the quality of education and care, leadership and management, how improvement is monitored, and how regulatory requirements are being met.
Where significant concerns are identified, ERO may undertake additional review, monitoring, follow-up engagement or regulatory activity.
By bringing together information from reviews and regulatory activity, ERO can build a more complete understanding of how the service supports children's learning, development, wellbeing and safety, and whether any additional action, monitoring or support is needed.
If service providers, coordinators, visiting teachers, educators or leaders within the service have questions or concerns about safety, wellbeing, or compliance with regulatory requirements, you can visit the managing an ECE section for more information. Parents and whānau can find specific information about complaints here. You can also contact the relevant team in ERO using the details on our contact page.