O'Connor Simon: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeO'Connor Simon: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 19 March 2014. Volume:697;Page:16811. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]7.SIMON O’CONNOR (National—Tāmaki)to the Minister of Education: What recent announcements has she made on legislation to strengthen the teaching profession?Hon HEKIA PARATA (Minister of Education):Last week the Minister for Tertiary Education Skills and Employment Steven Joyce and I welcomed the first reading of the Education Amendment Bill (No 2) which will make a number of legislative changes to strengthen the education profession. The changes proposed in the bill will help the profession meet the challenges and opportunities of modern learning and promote high standards of safety and accountability for teachers. This Government recognises the powerful contribution that high-quality teaching makes to raising student achievement.Simon O’Connor: How will the Education Council of Aotearoa New Zealand (EDUCANZ) ensure consistently high conduct and educational standards for the teaching profession?Hon HEKIA PARATA: The proposed changes will improve teacher registration and issuing of practising certificates. To obtain and maintain a practising certificate registered teachers will need to meet standards and criteria set out by EDUCANZ. The proposals will enhance reporting requirements to maintain public confidence in the conduct of the profession. The disciplinary framework for teachers will be strengthened by developing a code of conduct ensuring automatic referral to the disciplinary tribunal for cases of serious misconduct and making disciplinary proceedings open where possible. EDUCANZ will be a strong professional body that speaks acts and leads with authority and integrity on professional matters.Simon O’Connor: What other steps is the Government taking to strengthen the teaching profession and raise student achievement?Hon HEKIA PARATA: EDUCANZ is a key part of a comprehensive successful and sustainable plan to raise achievement for all children and young people. That plan includes the $359 million investment in professional career pathways over the next 4 years; the inaugural Prime Minister’s Education Excellence Awards in June; the education festivals that open in Auckland next week which I hope the member will take advantage of and in Wellington and Christchurch; hosting nearly 20 education Ministers of the top-performing systems from around the world here in Parliament next week; new postgraduate qualifications; and a sector review of professional learning and development. This Government is backing our teaching profession to win—in law in policy in practice and in funding.Chris Hipkins: Why should the teaching profession have any confidence in EDUCANZ as a supposedly independent professional body given that she does not have enough trust in it to allow it to have any say in who gets appointed to the board?Hon HEKIA PARATA: The member is quite wrong. When the bill is considered in the select committee the member will become aware that it is proposed that there be nine members of the new council five of whom must be registered teachers and all of whom can come from a pool nominated by the profession. The Minister will pick from that pool as well as have the opportunity to make some independent appointments and all of those will be made against a transparent public set of competencies criteria for that board as a whole. I very much look forward to it working to raise the status and value of the profession and I am sure that the member joins me in that aspiration.