Investigation into the Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand

17 February 2026

An investigation into the Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand’s conflict of interest and procurement practices.

In June 2025, the Minister of Education received an anonymous complaint raising serious concerns about procurement, conflict of interest management, and wider organisational practices involving the Chief Executive and other senior leaders. The Minister asked the Public Service Commissioner to conduct an investigation.

The Public Service Commission investigated the Teaching Council’s procurement practices and related conflict of interest management for engagements involving: the advertising firm Clemenger UnLtd, digital engagement services, and te reo Māori instruction, translation, and Māori cultural advice.

The final report of the investigation, and its terms of reference, can be found below.

Key findings

The investigation found that the Teaching Council:

Did not appropriately manage a conflict of interest held by its Chief Executive in relation to a supplier (Clemenger); and
Conducted procurement activities which did not comply with its internal policies and fell short of relevant system guidance.

There were five overall themes in the matters investigated:

Low maturity conflict management;
Incomplete conflict identification;
Insufficient oversight of conflict management;
Over-reliance on procurement policy exemptions with poor documentation; and
Lack of responsible ‘tone from the top’.

Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche said the findings paint a concerning picture.

“The Council is responsible for upholding high professional standards for teachers,” he said.

“It must also meet the highest standards itself. In this case, basic public sector expectations were not met, and in some areas the Council fell well short.

“These shortcomings created avoidable organisational and reputational risks and have the potential to undermine trust in the Teaching Council.”

The investigation report has been referred to the Chair of the Governing Council for the Teaching Council to determine what action to take.