New Zealand Teachers Council Code of Ethics Summit

• Introduction
  
• Texts of the presentations to the Summit
  
• Hon Trevor Mallard, Minister of Education
  
• The Ethical Teacher
  
• Notes on a Code of Ethics for New Zealand Registered Teachers
  
• Criteria for Registration as a Teacher
  
• Professional Obligation
  
• An Ethics Framework for New Zealand Registered Teachers
  
• Ethical Standards for the Teaching Profession

• The Code of Ethics as Shield, Sword, and Guide
  
• Ethics in Early Childhood

• Teacher Registration, Professional Discipline and Police Vetting
  
• Introduction
  
• Teacher registration
  
• Professional discipline and the NZ Teachers Council
  
• The Complaints Assessment Committee
  
• The Disciplinary Tribunal ("DT")
  
• The interaction of the discipline and registration regimes
  
• Grounds for discipline or deregistration
  
• The meaning of misconduct and serious misconduct
  
• Criminal convictions
  
• Dishonesty but no conviction
  
• Assaults
  
• Sexual misconduct and relationships with students
  
• Internet pornography
  
• Non-criminal conduct in teachers' private lives
  
• The action/belief dichotomy
  
• Morality and actions out of school
  
• Teacher's free speech
  
• Homosexuality
  
• Code of ethics and teacher discipline
  
• Police vetting
  
• Interaction of employment law and registration/disciplinary issues
  
• Procedure of the TRB and particulars of charges
  
• Discussion problems

NZ Teachers Council Education Summit.

21 March 2003
Venue: Union Hall, Victoria University Wellington

One of the legislated functions of the NZ Teachers Council is to develop a code of ethics for teachers. To launch this development the NZ Teachers Council convened an Education Summit on March 21 at Victoria University of Wellington.

The Minister of Education Hon Trevor Mallard and the Chair of the NZ Teachers Council Mr Stan Rodger opened the summit with attendees representing a wide spectrum of the education sector including government agencies, teacher unions, principals, teacher education providers, school trustees and other sector representatives.

A performance from the Mt Cook School Kapa Haka group at the opening helped remind all present that it is the teaching and learning of the children of Aotearoa/New Zealand that underpins all of what followed during the day.

Four speakers addressed the meeting on different aspects of a Code of Ethics;

Ivan Snook, Emeritus Professor of Education at Massey University,

Allan Hall, Associate Professor of Education at Waikato University,

Paul Rishworth, Associate Professor of Law at the University of Auckland and

Sue Cherrington, Director of School of Early Childhood Education at Wellington College of Education

Notes of each of the talks, and the Ministers opening address are attached below.

Following each talk workshop style discussions were held on questions posed by the speakers. A final presentation from the speakers as a panel was made to conclude the day-long summit.

Feedback from these discussions has been collected by the NZ Teachers Council and is being analysed to help guide the development of the code of ethics. A report of this feedback and an outline of a way forward for the code will follow shortly.

Comments received by NZ Teachers Council staff suggest that this was a very informative and stimulating event that has provided a solid platform from which to progress the development of a code of ethics for the whole teaching profession. Some of the main issues to arise were;

• How to ensure teachers have "ownership" of any code and the degree of consultation that should be undertaken in the development of this code?
  
• The balance between the aspirational and prescriptive/regulatory nature of the code
  
• The resources available for the ongoing development and management of the code
  
• How/who to regulate/enforce the code?
  
• How would a general code translate into a working document for individual teachers, schools or centres?
  
• What is the status of the Treaty of Waitangi in relation to the code?
  
• How to ensure ethical institutions/schools and centres as well as ethical teachers?

A motion from NZEI calling for recognition of the Treaty of Waitangi underpinning the code and adequate resources from the Minister was passed at the conclusion of the summit

The NZ Teachers Council is very pleased to have the responsibility for the development of the code of ethics but realises that success in this endeavour will require the wisdom, cooperation and input of all teachers and others involved in education. It is hoped that a draft discussion document will be available for wide consultation by June 2003. It is vital that all teachers play an active role in informing the NZ Teachers Council of the issues and dilemmas of an ethical nature that they face every day. The NZ Teachers Council will happily accept any comment regarding the development of the code of ethics via e-mail to education@teacherscouncil.govt.nz or letter to Code of Ethics, NZ Teachers Council PO Box 5326, Wellington.

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