The Extra Family Boost Tupe - for Pasifika parents: what's on the table, who can access it and how you can do this?

The Government’s FamilyBoost scheme is getting an upgrade, with the maximum rebate increasing from 25% to 40% of weekly childcare fees and the income limit rising from $180,000 to $229,000.

Announcing the changes, Finance Minister Nicola Willis said, “These changes will help many families to deal with the increased costs that come with having young children.”

The boost means families paying $300 or more a week in childcare fees can now receive up to $120 a week back, up from the previous $75. Around 22,000 more households will now be eligible, and officials estimate up to 16,000 more families will access the payment.

For many Pacific parents, any extra support is welcome, but questions remain about whether the system is truly accessible.

“Any increase to the income limit will benefit some families, but we need to have a better pathway for our parents to understand and uptake this funding” says Italia Taouma, manager of the A’oga Fa’a Samoa early childhood centre.

Currently, families must pay three months of childcare fees upfront, collect and submit invoices, and then wait for the rebate to arrive quarterly through IRD. The IRD has announced it is investigating a direct refund system, but this is still in its early stages.

“The issue is that the family boost only gives you money if you have paid the 3 months fees up front, then you get money back on it,” Italia explains.

“The other issue is that the sending and collecting of 3 months invoices (which have to be paid first) then puts the onus on the ECE providers which is another extra administrative thing to do.”

This administrative burden concerns many Pacific parents and centres, as many ECE services are already stretched and under-resourced.

“ECE are already stretched staff-wise so adding more work is not exactly a benefit,” Italia says.

For parents, the process can be daunting.

“I’m a Samoan mother of two who pays over $300 a month in childcare fees, and I would consider myself pretty tech svvy, but even I find it finicky and hard to make these claims, which makes me worry for other parents who may not have the same experience,” says Destiny Momoisea.

“I would question just how accessible this really is for many Pacific families who may not know how to claim it or who might give up trying, especially all our English second language aiga.”

While the FamilyBoost changes will bring relief to many families, there are calls to consider more effective long-term solutions.

“The amount of families benefitting from this would still gain a great amount. It may be better to put that money straight into ECE community Pasifika centres for funding the specialist language teachers we need and/or the specialist language resources needed to provide the excellent teaching we are known for,” the Manager of Aoga Fa’asamoa says.

As the cost of living continues to rise, the hope is that support for families will be delivered in a way that is accessible, reduces the burden on Pacific parents and centres, and strengthens the community-led early childhood education that continues to serve Pacific families across Aotearoa.