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Summarised by Centrist
New Zealand’s Teaching Council, the body responsible for regulating teachers and safeguarding professional standards, has been found to have “fallen well short” of basic public sector expectations.
More than $1.7 million was spent with a firm run by the chief executive’s husband.
Public Service Commission head Brian Roche released the findings on Tuesday following an investigation triggered by an anonymous complaint to Education Minister Erica Stanford. The review examined procurement and conflict-of-interest management between late 2018 and early 2025.
The report found “serious and repeated failures” in procurement processes and a “significant conflict of interest involving the chief executive that was not properly identified, documented or managed.” It concluded the council’s approach “fell short, and in some areas well short, of the standards expected of public sector agencies.”
More than $1.7m was spent with Clemenger UnLtd, whose managing director was Brett Hoskin, husband of chief executive Lesley Hoskin.
The investigation examined contracts covering advertising, digital engagement services, and te reo Māori instruction, translation, and Māori cultural advice. Key steps, including competitive procurement and proper approval of exemptions, did not occur.
Stanford described the issues as “highly concerning failures and problems,” saying they were not minor or technical.
Teachers have long questioned how their fees were being used. The report has been referred to the council’s chair to determine next steps, with no details yet provided on potential disciplinary consequences.
