Overview: Be part of the decision making for your professional body
Seven Governing Council members are elected by the profession during elections held every three years, this is your time to vote. Election voting opens on 5 February 2025.
We will be sharing information about the candidates soon!
Who is entitled to vote?
A person is entitled to vote for candidates in the sector they work in, if their name is on the electoral roll.
However, a person may not vote for a candidate in a sector unless, when they vote, they make a declaration to the returning officer that they are entitled to vote in that sector because:
- they are a registered teacher or a current Limited Authority to Teach (LAT) holder
- where applicable, they hold a current practising certificate
- they are currently (or most recently) employed in that sector.
More about the Governing Council elections 2025
Elections for seven members of the Teaching Council’s thirteen-person Governing Council will be held in February 2025, with the elections process getting underway later this year when candidate nominations open.
During the elections, seven Governing Council members are chosen by the profession for a three-year term commencing 1 July 2025. Following the election, the Minister of Education will make six appointments to the remaining seats.
Elected members include:
- an ECE teacher elected to the Teaching Council by ECE teachers
- an ECE service leader elected to the Teaching Council by ECE leaders
- a primary teacher elected to the Teaching Council by primary teachers
- a primary principal elected to the Teaching Council by primary principals
- a secondary teacher elected to the Teaching Council by secondary teachers
- a secondary principal elected to the Teaching Council by secondary principals
- a teacher educator elected to the Teaching Council by teachers working in the fields of initial and ongoing teacher education.
The elections process and timeframes are governed by the Teaching Council of Aotearoa Election Rules 2018 which means key dates will fall close to the end of Term 4 2024 and early in Term 1 2025. We understand and appreciate these are busy times for teachers so we're going to share all the information and key dates here over the coming months. This is to ensure the process is easy to follow and that you have plenty of time to nominate and vote. You may find it helpful to put some of these dates in your diary.
Key dates:
| Friday 11 October 2024 | Provision of preliminary membership data to Election Services |
| Friday 18 October 2024 | Compilation of preliminary members roll Prepare/approve notice of election and nomination forms |
| Friday 25 October 2024 | Issue Notice of Election (email and post) |
|
Friday 25 October 2024 |
NOMINATIONS OPEN |
|
Monday 30 December 2024 |
NOMINATIONS CLOSE (noon) |
| Friday 17 January 2025 | Prepare/approve voting document and candidate profile statements |
| Monday 20 January 2025 | Wellington Anniversary Day |
| Wednesday 22 January 2025 | Issue candidate list (email/post) |
| Friday 24 January 2025 | Cut-off date for final members roll Provision of final membership data to Election Services |
| Monday 27 January 2025 | Auckland Anniversary Day |
| late January 2025 | Term 1 starts between Monday 27 January (at the earliest) and Friday 7 February (at the latest) |
| Wednesday 29 January 2025 | Compilation of final members roll |
| Wednesday 5 February 2025 | Issue voting information (email/post) Voting Opens [Rule 24(1)-at least 20 days before election] |
| Thursday 6 February 2025 | Waitangi Day |
|
Friday 28 February 2025 |
CLOSE OF VOTING (noon) |
| Friday 27 June 2025 | Destroy voting material |
| Tuesday 1 July 2025 | Elected members take office |