Director's Message

15 December 2004

We've had a busy year completing the establishment of the New Zealand Teachers Council and laying the groundwork to give full effect to our professional leadership role in 2005.

This year, with the much appreciated support and enthusiasm of teachers and a host of other stakeholders we've among other things:

  • established the Early Childhood Education Advisory Group and Māori Medium Advisory Group with an initial focus on encouraging the preparation and employment of quality, registered teachers,
  • finalised the Code of Ethics,
  • established the new structures to investigate competence and fitness to teach issues,
  • initiated and participated in projects and research on initial and continuing education support for beginning teachers, and the status of teachers,
  • placed an increased emphasis on the Council's role in maintaining and improving standards in initial teacher education programmes through approval and re-approval processes and external monitoring,
  • reflected our recognition that enabling excellence in teaching requires effective relationships with a host of organisations including other Crown agencies by reaching memorandums of understanding between the Council and the New Zealand Qualifications Authority, the New Zealand Vice-Chancellors' Committee, the Colleges of Education Accreditation Committee and Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics Quality,
  • contributed to the work on establishing an integrated education sector approach to planning e-learning strategies and the use of ICT (Information Communications Technologies) across the sector,
  • revised a host of policies in consultation with teachers and other stakeholders.

In 2005 in addition to work on the professional leadership front

  • new and improved information and reporting systems will come into effect,
  • we will manage the three yearly peak in practising certificate renewals,
  • elections will be held in October for Council members from early childhood, primary, secondary and principals.

Our next message will be in February 2005. It will introduce you to newly appointed senior staff of the Council. Meanwhile, on behalf of Council members and staff, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Joanna Beresford
Chair

December 2004