This is the first report that uses the Growing Up in New Zealand data to explore how the inability to access affordable childcare affects the long run labour market outcomes of mothers.
This report investigates how commonly mothers experience difficulty accessing affordable childcare and the characteristics of the mothers most likely to face these issues.
- Childcare access issues affected 7.7 percent of the GUiNZ cohort at nine months and 7.5 percent at two years.
- Māori and Pacific mothers were two or three times more likely to experience issues accessing childcare than European mothers.
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Mothers cited a range of access issues, which implies that no one solution will address the problem. Cost was cited as a major factor, particularly for Pacific mothers.