Parata Hekia: Education Amendment Bill (No 2) — Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeParata Hekia: Education Amendment Bill (No 2) — Third Reading[Sitting date: 10 February 2015. Volume:703;Page:1414. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon HEKIA PARATA (Minister of Education): I move That the Education Amendment Bill (No 2) be now read a third time. This is an important bill for the education sector system and profession. The bill strengthens the education profession by establishing a new professional body for teachers. It both clarifies and strengthens the regulatory framework and the disciplinary regime for the teaching profession modernises governance arrangements for universities and wānanga establishes a legal framework for the code of practice for the pastoral care of international students establishes an independent contract disputes resolution scheme for international students and their education providers and strengthens quality assurance arrangements in the tertiary education sector. The bill also makes an administrative amendment enabling the Secretary for Education after consultation with the Auditor-General to determine the form of school boards of trustees’ annual financial statements. Taken together the amendments to the Education Act 1989 made by this bill will ensure that New Zealand’s education system is equipped to meet the challenges and opportunities of the modern learning environment.This bill proposes the establishment of the Education Council of Aotearoa New Zealand (EDUCANZ) a statutorily independent body for the teaching profession and the leadership within it. The bill reflects the recommendations of the 2012 review of the New Zealand Teachers Council and the 2013 report of the ministerial advisory group. It represents comprehensive sector-wide engagement on the transformation of the New Zealand Teachers Council into a body to provide leadership to the profession and strengthen its status in the 21st century. I wish to thank the very able people who led and contributed to those reviews and the consultation and advice that laid the groundwork for this legislation. Amongst the many people involved in this work I wish to thank Dr Judith Aitken Robyn Baker John Morris and Pauline Winter who were involved in the review of the New Zealand Teachers Council. I would like to thank Barbara Ala’alatoa Nancy Bell Irene Cooper Professor Alister Jones Lynda Reid Peter Simpson Arihia Stirling and Patrick Walsh who formed the ministerial advisory group ably charged by Dr Graham Stoop that recommended the establishment of EDUCANZ. Their recommendations are given effect in this bill.As an independent professional body EDUCANZ will use its skill expertise and authority to promote educational leadership accountability and consistently high standards across the education system and drive continuous improvement of quality assurance processes. EDUCANZ will be governed by a board of nine members. The majority will come from the education profession and all will be appointed on the basis of individual skills and experience. Together they will provide the necessary capability and balance. The board will not take representative positions on parts of the sector but will be expected to take a system-wide set of perspectives. There will be an open and public nominations process to identify appropriately skilled candidates. As is the case with other statutorily independent professional bodies the appointments process will provide for the protection of the public interest—in this case in education.The EDUCANZ board will set its strategic direction in consultation with the broad education sector and can make independent comment on education policy in keeping with its independent role. The council will also be able to enter into contracts for the provision of specific services. The measures set out in the bill present significant new opportunities for strengthening the profession and support EDUCANZ’s independent leadership outside the constraints of both Government and industrial organisations.The bill also creates a regulatory environment that promotes accountability and high standards including consistently high standards of entry into the profession and ongoing competence of teachers and education leaders. The bill clearly separates registration which recognises that a graduate is qualified to become a member of the profession from the issuing of practising certificates which recognise the competencies and experience required to work successfully as a teacher. The bill provides a new audit and moderation function designed to ensure that appraisals for the issue and renewal of practising certificates reach a consistent standard. The audit and moderation function is a response to both persistent reports of inconsistency and a lack of rigour in assessments and ensures constant raising of the quality of teaching and leadership. The council’s ability to set its own standards for the profession will further contribute to this.The new professional body is a cornerstone of our Government’s programme to raise the status of the profession and publicly recognise the value it contributes to New Zealand. This is the culmination of 3 years of widespread consultation discussion deliberation and consolidated review. We know that we must attract the best and the brightest to the profession raise the profile of teaching and its contribution to our nation continuously improve the quality of teaching practice and invest in capable and inspirational leadership. We must do this for our children and young people at all points in their learning pathway whether at early childhood institutions or in primary or secondary schools.The council will strengthen the disciplinary framework by having open proceedings unless there is good reason to withhold information enabling the investigation of matters on its own motion referring all matters of serious misconduct to the disciplinary tribunal and developing a code of conduct. The bill bolsters and simplifies the disciplinary regime for teachers to ensure high standards of conduct and a timely effective and fair response to possible misconduct. The new disciplinary procedures will give parents even more confidence that the professional quality and personal attributes of the education workforce are of the required standard when dealing with their children. A national professional code of conduct will clarify the standards that are expected of teachers and the consequences of not meeting those standards. This differs from a code of ethics which establishes the values and principles of the profession. A code of conduct was one of the recommendations of the ministerial inquiry into the employment of a sex offender in the education sector.Sitting suspended from 6 p.m. to 7.30 p.m.Hon HEKIA PARATA: The bill has generated a lot of public interest reflected in the number of submissions received by the Education and Science Committee. The committee’s careful consideration resulted in a small number of important changes to the bill helping to further clarify the intent of the bill and the functions of EDUCANZ. Again I wish to thank the members of the committee both past and present for their thorough consideration of all aspects of the bill and their work throughout the process.To support the change to EDUCANZ from the New Zealand Teachers Council there has been a very skilled transition board ensuring a well-planned and seamless transition to the new arrangements. The transition board has played a key role in shaping the direction and vision of the new body with the profession. Much of this work has been undertaken over the last year and is now ready. The board of EDUCANZ once appointed will be able to consider this as part of its initial work. I want to thank that transition board in particular Nancy Bell Professor Graham Hingangaroa Smith Hon Steve Maharey Paul Matthews John Morris Richard Newton Hoana Pearson Dr Margaret Southwick Arihia Stirling Linda Tame and Allan Vester who have provided great leadership throughout the EDUCANZ transition board.I would also like to again express my deep appreciation to the board and staff of the New Zealand Teachers Council in particular to Alison McAlpine as chair and to Dr Peter Lind long-time director and latterly to Rob McIntosh in his recent acting capacity. I also want to acknowledge the seamless transition and the professionalism of the staff of the council which has engendered this transition. The Teachers Council has developed a broad body of work in over a decade of operation that sets a strong platform for the new body.In conclusion the teaching profession makes a powerful and critical contribution to lifting student achievement. The quality of teaching and the education leadership have a direct impact on educational success. Supporting a transformed professional body is one of a number of reforms by this Government to grow the quality of teaching leading and learning and is the cornerstone of our quality teaching agenda. I commend the Education Amendment Bill (No 2) to the House.