Professional Boundaries Toolkit
The Professional Boundaries Toolkit is a set of practical tools and resources that support teachers and leaders to build and maintain respectful, ethical professional relationships.
Who is this for?
The toolkit is designed for teachers and professional leaders and can be used individually, with colleagues or as part of wider professional learning.
Using realistic scenarios, reflective activities and practical guidance, the toolkit helps educators navigate complex boundary situations with confidence while strengthening professional integrity and safeguarding learners. Leaders are also provided with facilitation resources that support professional conversations, mentoring and policy discussions within their early learning service, kura or school.
Our co-authors
These modules were developed by a team of experienced educators and education specialists who are passionate about supporting teachers to navigate professional relationships with confidence, integrity, and care.
The authors bring different experiences and perspectives, grounded in professional practice, ethical decision making, and a deep commitment to the wellbeing and rights of tamariki and ākonga.
Professor of Educational Psychology, Director of the Institute of Education.
Dr, Roseanna Bourke is a Professor of Learning and Assessment at Massey University. She is a registered psychologist (Education Scope of Practice) and the Academic director of the educational psychology training programme at Massey University. Throughout her career, she has worked alongside children, teachers, school leaders, and whānau to explore children’s learning, and to strengthen inclusive educational practice and improve outcomes for all learners.
Roseanna’s research and teaching focus on inclusion, learner agency, learning and assessment, applied professional ethics, and the ways educational systems can better support equity and belonging. She has led national and international research projects and has contributed extensively to policy, practice, and professional learning within education.
A strong advocate for children’s voice and rights in education, Roseanna supports educators and psychologists to navigate complex decisions, build positive relationships, and incorporate inclusive assessment practices in education. Her work continues to explore how children learn in and outside of school, and the dimensions of learning: culture, relationships, identity, strategies, purpose, affect/emotion (CRISPA).
Senior Professional Clinician, Educational Psychologist.
Ros trained as a teacher and then a psychologist and has worked in education for 30 years with a special focus on learning support, inclusion, and ākonga and kaiako well-being. She has worked across the three sectors of education with whānau, kaiako, principals, and Boards of Trustees.
Ros has expertise in professional practice, professional decision making, ethics, and children’s rights in education and has been involved in national and international training workshops and research in these areas.
Ros currently works as a Senior Professional Clinician in The Institute of Education at Massey University. She leads the final year of training for educational psychologists in their Internship year. This work has led to a growing interest in ways to understand, teach and explore the complexity of ethical and professional decision making in education settings and in research with children.
Senior Lecturer, Teacher Education.
Timu-o-te-rangi Niwa is a Senior Lecturer in the Institute of Education at Massey University. He has more than 20 years of experience in education, having worked as a primary school teacher, principal, and teacher educator. He currently teaches in initial teacher education and postgraduate programmes, with a particular focus on educational leadership, te reo Māori, and Māori education.
Timu’s research interests include Māori education, education policy, leadership, and the ways teachers enact policy in practice. His work explores how educational settings can better support Māori learners through the meaningful inclusion of culture, language, and identity.
Drawing on his experience as an educator, leader, and researcher, Timu is passionate about supporting teachers to navigate the complex responsibilities of professional practice while building culturally responsive and equitable learning environments for all learners.
