Purpose

The Teaching Council is an independent statutory body for the New Zealand teaching profession. We collect, store, use, and share personal information to carry out our functions and activities. We recognise that the data and information that we collect and care for is a taonga and treat that data and information with the utmost respect. We will protect it and ensure it is managed appropriately.

This privacy policy explains how the Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand (Matatū Aotearoa) collects, stores, uses and shares your personal information that it collects.

This policy applies to all personal information collected, stored, used and shared by the Teaching Council.

Personal information means information about an identifiable individual such as their name, contact details, qualifications, and other personal history information.

We are committed to meeting all our obligations and responsibilities under the Privacy Act 2020.  

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Our privacy commitment

The Teaching Council recognises Te Tiriti o Waitangi as a founding document of our nation. Te Tiriti provides a structure for power-sharing and relationships and a place in that for all who came after.

The articles of the Tiriti are the foundation of this policy. They require, governance, self-determination, equity, cultural and spiritual affirmation.

The values of the Teaching profession anchor the practical application of this policy. Those values are Whanaungatanga, Manaaakitanga, Te Pono and Whakamana.

We only collect personal information where it is necessary to carry out our functions.

We will only use and share personal information where necessary to carry out the functions for which we collected it, or if required by law or in accordance with legislation.

Information may be collected either directly, or from other people or agencies, and we may generate personal information about you when we carry out our functions.

We store our data (including your personal information) on secure information technology platforms.

Information may be used for statistical purposes, within the obligations and requirements of the Privacy Act.

You can ask for a copy of your personal information and request for it to be corrected it at any time.

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Collection of personal information

We collect personal information directly from you as we carry out our functions under the Education and Training Act 2020, including teacher registration and certification, maintenance of the Register of New Zealand Registered Teachers, and investigations relating to teacher conduct and competence.

Personal information that we collect can include:

  • full name, date of birth, and gender
  • contact details including address(es), email address and phone number(s)
  • qualifications and employment details
  • Police vetting details and outcome
  • personal history information such as English language test results, complaint investigation, previous teaching employment, previous teaching registration, and character reference.

We may also collect information from third parties for the purpose of investigating conduct or competence issues and complaints where:

  • there has been a complaint against a teacher in relation to conduct, competence or fitness to teach
  • an employer has notified us of action taken against a teacher (mandatory report)
  • we receive notification from the courts of a teacher’s criminal conviction

We may also collect information under approved information matching or sharing agreements with other government agencies.

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How we use personal information

Your personal information is only used for the purposes required to carry out our functions.  This may include disclosure to persons or organisations that require the information to complete related activities (such as NZ Police for police vetting). Access to, use of and sharing of personal information is done in line with our legal requirements including the Official Information Act 1982, Privacy Act 2020, and the Education and Training Act 2020.

Personal information is used to:

  • Assess a teacher’s eligibility for registration and certification
  • Maintain the Register of New Zealand Registered Teachers (including Limited Authority to Teach)
  • Conduct the statutory functions and administration of the Teaching Council.
  • Personal information may also be used for research purposes to assist us in analysing, and
    further developing and improving our services.

Some personal information can be disclosed to members of the public who are:

  • viewing the Register of New Zealand Registered Teachers (available on our website)
  • viewing published decisions and reasons for decisions of conduct and competence hearings and processes

Some personal information is disclosed to professional leaders (e.g. principals, centre managers, Board of Trustee Chairs) when endorsing teachers.

Some personal information is also disclosed to:

  • New Zealand Police to obtain a Police check (Police vet)
  • Tertiary education institutions to obtain or confirm a teacher’s academic record.
  • The Ministry of Education under the Education and Training Act 2020 (to confirm registration and payroll accuracy).
  • Information may also be disclosed to other government agencies under information sharing agreements and where the safety of children and young people is at risk.

PP10 – limits on the use of personal information

PP11 – Disclosure of personal information

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Access to your personal information

Under PP6 – access to information of the Privacy Act 2020, you are able to request access to your personal information held by us.

If you wish to make a request for your personal information under the Privacy Act 2020, please email: information@teachingcouncil.nz.

Any person requesting access to personal information will be required to verify their identity before any information is released.

PP6 – Access to personal information

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Correction of your personal information

We make every effort to ensure the personal information we collect, use, or share is accurate, complete, and as up to date as possible. Accuracy of information is partially dependent on the information provided to us. In our communications with people, we provide opportunities to advise us of any corrections needed to personal information.

You may request a correction of your personal information at any time.

PP7 – Correction of personal information

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Storage and retention of your personal information

We store our data, including your personal information, on secure information technology platforms. The information and technology Security Management Framework and related policies and procedures used by the Council are based on the security requirements set out in the New Zealand Information Security Manual and the New Zealand Protective Security Requirements. 

Data, including your personal information will be kept for as long as needed to carry out our functions. We will dispose of it when authorised and legally appropriate to do so, using a managed process.

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Cookies

We use cookies to help us understand how people engage with our website. Cookies may also be used to help users navigate efficiently, to perform certain functions on our site, and/or to provide information about how our site is used.

We also use cookies where they are required for particular features to work – for example if you are logged in, cookies allow you to remain logged in while moving around the site and to allow you to complete certain tasks.

You can manually disable cookies at any time – check your browser’s ‘Help’ to find out how. This will not affect your ability to view the website, however you may have limited functionality in our secure services.

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Website analytics

We use software like Google Analytics and Tealium to collect data about your interactions with our websites and communications.  The collection of information in this way is to improve user experiences when using our sites and to tailor our communications to ensure relevance and benefit.  We analyse non-identifiable web traffic data to improve our services.  The data is aggregated and cannot personally identify you. You are able to opt out of the Google Analytics tracking by changing your browser settings or visit the Google Analytics page.

Other websites and social media services have their own privacy policies and may track your use of our website on those pages where their links are displayed.  If you are logged in to associated services (such as any other Google service), while using our site, tracking of you will be associated with your profile with them.

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Surveys and community contributions

If you submit a comment or participate in a discussion in our community areas your name will be displayed.  We do not display any other personal information in our community areas.  We recommend that you do not post your email address, home address, phone number or any other personal information about you, or other individuals, as part of community discussions.

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Third-parties

We use third-party providers to manage some of our engagement with teachers, such as for newsletters and event registrations. Where we do this, the information you provide may also be collected and stored by those providers. We use the following third-party providers:

Social media sites and third-party websites may store information overseas. None of the third-parties have access to any personal information held on our systems.

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How to make a privacy complaint

If you wish to make a complaint about the management of your personal information, please contact us in writing by sending details of your complaint to information@teachingcouncil.nz.

Complaints will be acknowledged within two working days.  Our Privacy Officer will look into the details of your complaint and respond in writing as soon as possible, generally within 20 working days.

If you are not happy with our response to a complaint, please write to the Chief Executive within 30 days, providing the reasons why you feel that the response is not satisfactory. The Chief Executive will review the complaint response and respond as soon as possible, generally within 20 working days.

You may also complain to the Privacy Commissioner (https://www.privacy.org.nz/your-rights/making-a-complaint/#contact).

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Review of Policy

This Policy will be reviewed by the Privacy Officer every three years, or sooner if warranted by internal or external events or changes. Changes to the Policy will be recommended by the Privacy Officer to the Deputy Chief Executive Operational Services.

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