The transfer of responsibility for setting standards for teachers and Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programmes from the Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand to the Secretary for Education is being progressed by the Government.

This change is part of the Education and Training (System Reform) Amendment Bill, which had its third reading in Parliament on 23 June 2026.

If the Bill receives the Royal assent, the Secretary for Education will take over responsibility for setting standards and criteria for the teaching workforce, including for the code of conduct and ITE programmes on 6 July 2026.

We are working with the Teaching Council to prepare for this change. We will share more updates as the work continues.