Teaching council judicial review victory

As you will be aware, the High Court has quashed the Teaching Council’s decisions to increase fees and move to annual certification. While we are delighted that teachers’ concerns have been heard, we are aware that this will be causing some uncertainty for teachers.  

What does this decision mean for you? The short answer is that everything immediately returns to how it was before those decisions were made. All practising certificates are deemed to have been issued for three years, and the fee for those certificates is set at $220.80.  

If you have re-certified since February 1st 2021 and paid $157 for a one year practising certificate:

Your practising certificate is valid for three years from the date of issue.  

You may recieve a letter or email from the Teaching Council asking you to pay the remaining $63.80. They are legally entitled to do this.  

What do you need to do? Nothing unless you hear from the Teaching Council.  

If you are due to re-certify in the near future:

You will be issued a three year practising certificate for a fee of $220.80  

What do you need to do? Keep an eye on Hapori Matatū for updates, and read all emails you receive from the Teaching Council. If there are no updates before you need to re-certify, pay for the $157. Your practising certificate will legally be issued for three years. You may be required to pay the additional $63.80 at a later date.  

If you have a three year practising certificate and are not due to recertify for some time:

We don’t know yet exactly what will happen next. The Teaching Council has indicated that it will consult again on the change to annual certification and fees increase. The outcome of this consultation will inform what happens next. We will keep you updated.  

Important note: If the Teaching Council requests anything different from this advice – for example, if they issue a one-year certificate, or request a top-up payment of more than $63.80, please contact your local field officer immediately.