Membership of new education body announced

Education Minister Hekia Parata has announced the make-up of the new teacher professional body, the Education Council of Aotearoa New Zealand.

The council will be chaired by highly-regarded Auckland principal Barbara Ala’alatoa, and comprise eight other leading educationalists, all but one of whom emerged from an exhaustive public nomination process.

”The nine members of the Council are leaders in the education sector who bring a wealth of experience and expertise to the new body,” Ms Parata says.   “I’m delighted we’ve got a group of such outstanding calibre.”

The Council members are:

• Barbara Ala’alatoa (Chairperson)
• Anthony Mackay (Deputy Chairperson)
• Claire Amos
• Simon Heath
• Ripeka Lessels
• Iva Ropati
• Lynda Stuart
• Helen Timperley
• Clare Wells

Ms Parata says Ms Ala’alatoa, who was last year awarded the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to education, is an energetic leader, who brings a combination of vision and pragmatism to the position. She sees the big picture while understanding the issues teachers face on the ground. 

“Deputy chair Anthony Mackay is an internationally recognised education expert whose name is synonymous with school and system leadership, improvement and innovation.

“The other members of the council are among New Zealand’s foremost practitioners and education experts.

“Of the council members, all but Mr Mackay, who is based in Melbourne, emerged through the public nomination process. Six are registered teachers which will ensure teachers are well-represented on their new professional body,” Ms Parata says.

“The selection process was thorough, rigorous and robust, and conducted according to State Services Commission guidelines.

“145 nominations were received and the 24 nominees shortlisted were  interviewed by a panel comprising Education Review Office chief executive, Iona Holsted, the former principal of Wellington High Prue Kelly, who was  recently appointed to oversee new teacher and principal positions in Communities of Schools, and Institute of Directors Board Service Advisor Kelly McGregor.

“The field of candidates was extremely impressive and I want to thank everyone who participated in the process,” Ms Parata says. 

On July 1 the new council will take over responsibility for all matters to do with the registration and disciplining of the teaching profession from the Teachers Council. But it also has a wider mandate to lead the teaching profession and raise its status.

Ms Parata said she wanted to thank past and present members of the Teachers Council, and Council staff for their services to education.

“I also want to thank the members of the EDUCANZ Transition Board who have worked so hard to establish the new professional body.”  

Notes:

Background information about the Education Council

• The Education Council, established under the Education Amendment Act 2015 (the Act), is a new independent statutory body.
• Its purpose is to ensure safe and high quality leadership, teaching, and learning for children and young people in early childhood, primary, secondary, and senior secondary schooling in English medium and Māori medium settings through raising the status of the profession.
• It replaces the New Zealand Teachers Council (NZTC) and assumes the NZTC’s responsibility for managing policies and processes for registration, practising certification, and disciplinary and competence functions for teachers in New Zealand, and for the accreditation of initial teacher education programmes.
• It has broader responsibility for educational leadership and quality teaching in early childhood education and primary, intermediate and secondary schooling.
• It will be the respected voice and face of educational leadership and the thought and practice leader of quality teaching in the early childhood and schooling sectors.