47199 (2025). Hon Willow-Jean Prime to the Minister of Education

Written Question

Published date: 13 Oct 2025

Metadata

Document type:	Written Question
Parliament number:	54
Question number:	47199 (2025)
Question asked:	29 Sep 2025
Member asking:	Hon Willow-Jean Prime
Portfolio:	Minister of Education
Minister replying:	Hon Erica Stanford
Answer received:	07 Oct 2025
Status:	Question Answered
Reply type:	Reply
Document ID:	WQ_47199_2025
Document guid:	5c9d7f47-4988-4794-8995-ff284d6f2152

47199 (2025). Hon Willow-Jean Prime to the Minister of Education: What safeguards or mechanisms, if any, are in place to ensure that decisions made by the Teaching Council under David Ferguson’s leadership are impartial and free from any conflicts of interest?

Hon Erica Stanford: I have been advised by the Ministry of Education that the Teaching Council has an external panel that assesses teacher-education programmes and makes recommendations for the Teaching Council to approve. David Ferguson will not receive papers, and will step out of all Council discussions relating to teacher-education programmes run by The Teachers Institute, where he is the Chief Executive. This was considered and confirmed as part of Mr Ferguson’s appointment process, and it is not the first time a member of the Teaching Council has had a role with an Initial Teacher Education provider.