경제협력기구(OECD)의 자료에 따르면 뉴질랜드를 취학 전 아동 보육비 30개국 중 두 번째로 높은 국가로 선정했다. 첫 번째는 영국이다. 뉴질랜드 부모들은 가계수입의 29%를 취학 전 자녀의 보육비로 지출하고 있다. 이는 오스트레일리아의 2배, 스웨덴의 6배 보다 많다. 첫 번째인 영국 부모들은 33.8%나 사용한다. 그러나 뉴질랜드 교육부는 OECD 보육비 비교가 공정하지 못했다고 주장한다. 3세~5세 사이의 아동에 대한 20시간 무료 보육비가 누락됐기 때문이다. 논란에도 불구하고 뉴질랜드의 실질적인 보육료는 계속해서 증가 추세를 보이고 있다. OECD report: NZ one of the most expensive places to have preschoolers 23NZ is the second most expensive country for daycare, the OECD says.PHIL CARRICK/AFRNZ is the second most expensive country for daycare, the OECD says.New Zealand is one of the most expensive places to raise preschoolers, according to an OECD report.Kiwi families have to pay some of the highest amounts for childcare, in the western world, the report finds.New Zealand rated the second most expensive country for childcare in most of the western world, second only to the United Kingdom.However the Minister of Education disputed the findings, saying the OECD data was flawed.READ MORE:* Future costs of schooling tipped to rise* School costs increasing at almost 10 times the rate of inflationThe report said New Zealand two-parent families were spending 29 per cent of their incomes on their preschoolers daycare. In the UK, it cost families 33.8 per cent of their household income.There were 30 countries included in the report.According to the report, New Zealand families paid more than six times more than Swedish families. In Australia, families only paid around 15 per cent of their income on childcare, almost half of what Kiwi families were paying.HoweverHowever, the Minister of Education, Hekia Parata, said the OECD incorrectly measured childcare costs in New Zealand."The comparisons are not fair." The minister said the analysis ignored New Zealand's 20 hours of free early childhood education for children aged between three to five.Ad Feedback"For every dollar a parent pays, the Government pays $4.80," she said.The Ministry of Education's head of data, Craig Jones, said early childhood education funding in New Zealand was actually "among the highest in the OECD".He said families today were paying a third less than families in June 2007 and that funding was increasing each year.NZEI national president Louise Green said that while more was being spent on early childhood, funding was only increasing because more children were entering early childhood education."The services themselves have had an operations cost freeze, which means the funding they get to operate hasn't kept up with inflation," she said.The operations funding freeze had been in place since 2010, she said. That meant many daycare centres and kindergartens were having to increase their fees to maintain services, said Green.In its report, Society at a Glance 2016, the OECD stated investment on the early childhood age group was a vital for the future of education and national development.- StuffSave|Saved StoriesNext Education story:Students cheer as burst water main closes Christchurch Girls' High SchoolNational Homepage