KEY POINTS:
ABC Learning Centres in New Zealand will operate as usual for the foreseeable future, the Ministry of Education said after meeting company management yesterday.
A list of companies associated with ABC Group Australia was placed in the hands of receivers on Thursday, leaving staff and families associated with the New Zealand operations anxious. However, ABC general manager (NZ) Craig Presland gave an assurance the business here was operating as a profitable and successful stand-alone entity .
Ministry of Education early childhood education senior manager Karl Le Quesne said ministry officials met ABC management yesterday and came away confident the centres would continue to operate as they had been.
Mr Le Quesne said the ministry and ABC New Zealand would continue to work together to ensure the delivery of quality early childhood education.
"The ministry will continue to update information as it becomes available," he said.
Education sector union NZEI has called for more clarity from the company and said the future was still unclear despite assurances.
ABC has 119 centres around the country and provides care for over 7700 children.
In Australia, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said his Government was working with administrators who have taken over the management of ABC Learning to help solve its problems.
Mr Rudd said the situation was complex , but the Government recognised it was a serious issue that was affecting families and employees across the country.
ABC has debts of over A$2 billion. The company has 1000 centres across Australia caring for 120,000 children and employing 16,000 people.
- NZPA
