Explanatory note

This Supplementary Order Paper amends the proposed purpose of the new Education Council of Aotearoa New Zealand (EDUCANZ), which is the body that the Government proposes to establish to take over from the Teachers Council of New Zealand. The statement of purpose is currently set out in clause 38, new section 377 of the Education Amendment Bill (No. 2) and states that the purpose of EDUCANZ is to “ensure safe and high quality leadership, teaching, and learning for children and young people in early childhood, primary, secondary, and senior secondary schooling in English medium and Maori medium setting though raising the status of the profession”.

This Supplementary Order Paper deletes the reference to raising the status of the profession from the proposed purpose of EDUCANZ. As currently worded, the statement of purpose implies that raising the status of the profession is what will ensure safe practice in schools and centres. Logically this may happen the other way around. Safe and high quality practitioners in schools may have an additional benefit of raising the status of the teaching profession, although that is not the primary purpose of the Bill, which is to ensure safe and high quality practice in schools and early childhood centres. Removal of the reference to raising the status of the profession fixes this error in logic.