Code of Conduct for School Board Members

Overview

We are seeking your views on:

a draft mandatory code of conduct for school board members, and
whether the current eligibility requirements for school board members are sufficient and fit for purpose.

The code of conduct

Sections 166-169 of the Education and Training Act 2020 (the Act) allow the Minister of Education to issue a code of conduct for state school boards that sets out the minimum standards of conduct that each member is required to meet.

The Act also enables the Minister of Education (upon application from other board members) to remove a board member for a significant or persistent breach of the code.

Individual boards of schools/kura can decide to expand the minimum standards in this code to protect the special character, different character, or principles of Te Aho Matua and any special characteristics of the school or its community.

The purpose of all school boards is to govern the school. Board members share the common objectives, as outlined in section 127 of the Act. It is important that individual board members understand how to conduct themselves appropriately to promote these common objectives.

We are seeking your feedback on a draft code of conduct for the Minister of Education to issue.

The draft of the code of conduct that you can provide feedback on can be downloaded here:

Support for school boards to implement the new code

Boards will be supported by guidance and advice from local Ministry of Education staff and the New Zealand School Trustees Association (NZSTA).

School board member eligibility requirements

It is important that school boards members are fostering safe environments for students and school staff. Schedule 23 Clause 9 of the Act lists certain people who are not eligible to become school board members (and can be found here). Those people who are not eligible include undischarged bankrupts, and people who have been sentenced to imprisonment (or who have been convicted of a crime punishable by two years or more) and who have not yet completed their sentence or served the penalty imposed on them. We are interested in hearing your thoughts on whether there should be any changes to these eligibility requirements.

How you can provide feedback

This survey should take around 10 minutes to complete. Have your say by clicking the link at the bottom of the page.

Feedback on school board member eligibility requirements will remain open until 21 November.

Feedback on the draft code of conduct will remain open until 4 December.

Privacy information

The Privacy Act 2020 contains principles about the collection, use and disclosure of information about individuals. Any personal information you supply in your submission will only be used for developing advice relating to the code of conduct.

After this consultation is complete, we will a publish a feedback summary based on the submissions. This summary will be anonymised.

Submissions are official information

Submissions you make become official information. The content of submissions can be asked for under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA). Under the OIA, we must make information available unless there is good reason for withholding it.

Contact us at SchoolBoard.Consultation@education.govt.nz if you have any objections to the release of any information used in your submission, particularly which part(s) you believe should be withheld, along with the reason. Reasons might include that it is commercially sensitive or it is personal information. We will take into consideration any objections when responding to OIA requests. However, any decision the agencies make to withhold information can be reviewed by the Ombudsman, who may tell us to release it.

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