Our role
The Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand work for and with around 150,000 registered and certificated teachers in early childhood, primary and secondary schooling across Aotearoa.
The role of the Teaching Council
We’re the professional body for teachers. Our job is to make sure teachers are:
- qualified and competent
- safe to practice
- accountable for their teaching.
Teachers pay a fee and levy to be registered and certified. This funding helps us carry out important work like:
- setting and maintaining teaching standards
- registering and certifying teachers
- approving teacher education programmes
- supporting professional growth and leadership
- investigating serious concerns about conduct or competence
- maintaining the Code of Professional Responsibility and Teaching Standards.
Our core functions
Registration and certification
To make sure every teacher is ready to teach, we check their:
- Qualifications
- Teaching experience
- Police vet
- Ability to meet professional standards
This helps ensure high-quality teaching across Aotearoa.
Holding a registration and practising certificate shows learners, whānau, and the public that a teacher is trusted, skilled, and ready to educate our tamariki and rangatahi.
Maintaining the Code of Professional Responsibility and Standards
We support teachers to use the Code of Professional Responsibility and the Standards for the Teaching Profession | Ngā Tikanga Matatika, Ngā Paerewa in their everyday practice.
This includes:
- Reviewing and monitoring teacher education programmes
- Supporting leadership through the Leadership Strategy
- Promoting high-quality teaching across Aotearoa
As an independent voice for the profession, we also speak up on big issues that affect teachers. We use teachers’ expertise to help shape legislation and policy that impacts education.
Ensuring high standards of ethical behaviour and high-quality teacher practice
We take reports of serious concerns about a teacher’s behaviour or performance seriously. When a mandatory report or complaint is made, we investigate to make sure:
- Learners are safe
- The public can trust the profession
- Teachers are held to high standards
Sometimes, we support teachers to improve and get back on track. In other cases, we may place conditions on their practising certificate. For the most serious matters, a teacher may be referred to the Disciplinary Tribunal.
Our goal is to protect learners and uphold the reputation of the teaching profession.
Our statutory functions
Section 479(1) of the Education & Training Act 2019 specifies the mandatory functions that the Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand is required to undertake.
- The Teaching Council sets fees and the levy to be paid by registered teachers to fund the delivery of these mandatory statutory functions.
- By law, the Teaching Council is only allowed to recover the actual and reasonable costs of delivering those functions from teachers.
- An independent expert assessment of the reasonableness of the Teaching Council’s costs has been undertaken, and Treasury public sector guidelines for setting charges have been applied.
- Expected costs of undertaking the mandatory statutory functions for the next three-year operating period have been estimated based on 2020/21 actual costs, less anticipated savings and cost reductions identified by the Teaching Council.
- The fee and levy are set at the level that will recover these estimated costs over three-year cost recovery period 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2025. Fees and the levy will be reviewed at the end of the three-year cost recovery period, with any over or under recoveries taken into account when proposing any future increases
- Section 479(2) of the Education & Training Act 2019 specifies the optional functions that the Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand can only perform with the approval of the Minister of Education.
- These optional functions are related to leadership of the profession, enhancing the status of education leaders, and identifying and disseminating best practice in education leadership.
- The fees and levy paid by teachers cannot be used to fund the Teaching Councils optional statutory functions under S479(2) – these must be paid for by government.
Our Pou – The foundation of our work
We organise our work into six key areas (Pou), each with its own focus. The total cost of the six Pou is $18.122M annually.
The forecast average annual cost of each Pou for the period July 2022 to June 2025 is as follows:
- Pou Matatika (functions related to conduct) is estimated to cost $7.782M.
- Pou Mataara (functions related to competence) is estimated to cost $1.535M.
- Pou Whai Rēhitanga (functions related to registration) is estimated to cost $5.506M.
- Pou Tikanga Matatika, Ngā Paerewa (functions related to the Code and Standards) is estimated to cost $0.766M.
- Pou Here Tōmua (functions related to initial teacher education) is estimated to cost $1.780M.
- Pou Aro Whakamua (functions related to the status and direction of teachers and the dissemination of best practice) is estimated to cost $0.753M.
Related links
Working at Matatū Aotearoa
Join a team that believes in the power of teaching. At Matatū Aotearoa, you’ll help shape the profession that shapes Aotearoa - working in an inclusive, supportive environment where purpose meets people.
