Recently, Minister of Education Hon Jan Tinetti announced the new Code of Conduct for School Board Members. As this Code covers all board members, please make sure you are aware of the new Code of Conduct and the standards that are required of board members.

Important information

• The new Code comes into force on 21 June 2023.
• The Code covers all board members – including principals, staff and student representatives.
• The Education and Training Act 2020 includes sanctions that can be used by boards to deal with persistent and significant breaches of the Code – these sanctions to not apply to the principal but do apply to all other board members.
• Boards can add their own additional standards to the Code. These must be consistent with the mandatory Code.

Have a read of our new article on our Resource Centre about the Code of Conduct. You can also have a look at the MOE website here.

What steps does a board need to take to prepare for the Code of Conduct?

To get prepared for the Code of Conduct for School Board Members to take effect on 21 June, boards should:

• Ensure that all board members are fully aware of the minimum standards expected of them. Some boards may still like to get their members to sign the Code to acknowledge they are aware of the Code and its implications for them as individuals in the community.
• Set some time aside to discuss and understand how this would be reflected in their own school community context.
• Review their current Code (if they have one) and decide whether they wish to augment the mandatory Code to protect any areas of special/different character/principles of Te Aho Matua and special characteristics of the school or its community. Make sure that any augmentations to the code do not contradict or alter the intent of any of the mandatory standards.
• Ratify any additional standards at the next board meeting.

Relevant links

• NZ Gazette notice – Code of Conduct
• Media release from the Beehive
• MOE website – Code of Conduct
• NZSTA Resource Centre – Code of Conduct