Complaints Assessment Committee
The Complaints Assessment Committee (CAC) has seven members, who may operate in panels of three or more members. Four CAC members are also members of the NZ Teachers Council. The remaining three have been appointed by the NZ Teachers Council after consultation with interested representative groups. The CAC is chaired by the Convenor, who is assisted by the Deputy Convenor. For further information about the current members of the CAC, click here.
The CAC considers mandatory reports about conduct, made by teachers' employers under the Education Act 1989, and notifications of convictions of registered teachers. It also considers complaints from members of the public about teachers' conduct, unless it considers that these should be referred to the teacher's current employer for consideration. For further information on the CAC's processes, please click here.
If a report or complaint concerns competence, the CAC may refer it back to the NZ Teachers Council for consideration. Except in exceptional cases a teacher may be investigated either by the CAC or by the NZ Teachers Council, but not both at once.
In appropriate circumstances, the CAC may also refer a teacher to an Impairment Committee for assistance with an impairment.
Wherever appropriate, complaints will be referred back to the learning centre from which they arose. The CAC is intended to have the role of ensuring complaints are dealt with in a reasonable way and are in keeping with New Zealand standards, rather than investigating complaints that the learning centre should be dealing with first.
Teachers may appear before the CAC if they wish. The CAC can only impose penalties by agreement with the teacher.
If a case concerns serious misconduct, or if the parties cannot agree on an outcome, the CAC may prosecute the teacher before the Disciplinary Tribunal.
The powers and procedures of the Complaints Assessment Committee are set out in sections 139AQ, AS, AT and AV of the Education Act 1989, and in the NZ Teachers Council Conduct Rules which can be accessed on this website here.
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