Documents show the Education Review Office was poised to give a positive review to an early childhood service that had broken so many rules the Education Ministry wanted to shut it down.
Ministry briefing papers say the review office was preparing it's report on the home-based service at the same time the ministry was drafting a suspension notice to close it temporarily.
Early childhood insiders say its not uncommon for the ministry and ERO to reach different conclusions about providers.
RNZ's education correspondent John Gerritsen reports.
