Overview: Be part of the decision making for your professional body

Nominations are open from 25 October to 30 December 2024. By nominating, or being nominated for the Governing Council elections, you’ll be directly involved in the mahi of raising the mana of the teaching profession! 

As members of the teaching profession, you shape young lives, and we want you to think about how you can support the profession by bringing your expertise and experiences to the Governing Council. 

Why consider joining the Governing Council? As your professional body, the Teaching Council is run by teachers, for teachers. Serving on the Governing Council is a chance to bring a valued perspective to the table, to help shape the future of the profession at a strategic system level, and raise the mana of teachers across Aotearoa New Zealand. 

Who is eligible to be nominated? 

If you wish to be nominated, you must be on the Teaching Council electoral roll and be currently employed in one of the sectors. 

Who is eligible to nominate a candidate? 

A candidate must be nominated and seconded by two people who are entitled to vote (on the Teaching Council electoral roll) and are currently (or most recently) employed in the same sector as the candidate they are nominating. 

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.

Online town hall

Watch the online town hall to listen to Governing Council members talk and answer a series of Q&A's from attendees. Find out why they joined, the work that's been done and why they'd encourage others to step up to their professional body.

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:

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