John Gerritsen, Education Correspondent, RNZ
Some under-five-year-olds with disabilities and behaviour problems are waiting up to a year to get help – and, in Wellington and Porirua, average waiting times are double the average for the rest of the country, Education Ministry figures show.
The ministry’s figures showed children in the Wellington region were waiting an average of seven days for an initial assessment, but their first appointment with the early intervention service was taking an average of 139 days, compared to an average of 68 in most other parts of the country.