An Auckland principal says teacher fees have been going up in recent years and it’s disheartening to hear of a culture of “wastefulness” at the very organisation charged with enforcing standards of excellence across the profession.
“It’s really disappointing,” Papakura High School principal Simon Craggs told the Herald.
Hoskin fell on her sword yesterday after the release of two highly critical reports into the organisation – one into its culture and governance, and the other into conflict of interest and procurement concerns.
A review this month by consultant Debbie Francis found the council had lost focus on its core regulatory function of child safety and needed to undergo “transformative change”.
And a Public Service Commission (PSC) report released last week found “serious and repeated failures” at the agency, including standards that fell “well short” of those expected in the public sector.
Among the findings was that the council awarded more than $1.1 million in contracts to an advertising firm run by Hoskin’s husband.
Though Hoskin had regularly declared the conflict and took no part in awarding contracts, the report criticised inadequate disclosures of her husband’s “considerable” shareholding in the firm.
Education Minister Erica Stanford says Lesley Hoskin’s resignation clears the way for a leadership refresh and significant change. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Education Minister Erica Stanford welcomed Hoskin’s resignation, saying it cleared the way for a leadership refresh and “much-needed change” as the body’s governing council sought to restore accountability and oversight.
Stanford announced today she had appointed Francis, the consultant, to the Teaching Council board to help steady the organisation as it attempts to regain the sector’s trust and refocus on its primary regulatory responsibilities.
“The Teaching Council has been identified as having a number of serious, pressing issues that need to be resolved in order for it to fulfil its roles effectively and enable trust and confidence heading into the future,” Stanford said.
“The thing I care about the most is getting a regulatory body that’s in charge of child protection doing their job.”
‘Matter of optics’
The Francis report singled out the amount spent on executive and managerial pay at the council. Among its recommendations were: “Reviewing the sizing of middle management and executive roles and the associated remuneration.”
The Herald has confirmed that Hoskin earned a salary in excess of $400,000 as CEO.
As revealed by the Herald, Hoskin went on “agreed leave” in October amid an independent investigation into her conduct.
The board has refused to specify what alleged conduct sparked the independent investigation or provide updates on the inquiry.
Asked repeatedly whether Hoskin was receiving full pay while on leave, governing council chairman David Ferguson would not say.
“At this point, we are unable to provide any further details regarding the CEO,” he said this week.
Asked yesterday if Hoskin’s resignation was with immediate effect or if she was in line for a severance package, Ferguson said he had nothing to add.
The Teaching Council is paying $600,000 a year for “premium” waterfront office space on Waterloo Quay. Photo / Google
The Francis report also highlights the council’s Waterloo Quay office space in central Wellington incurring “a significant annual rental expenditure”.
“While the current rent does not appear to be inconsistent with market rates, the council may not need its premium location, given its flexible working approaches,” Francis wrote.
“There is also the matter of optics here, given its reliance on fee and levy income, which teachers generally regard as onerous.”
The Herald has confirmed the council spends $600,000 annually on the 11th-floor waterfront accommodation, which offers views over Wellington Harbour.
It’s understood flexible working arrangement mean many staff work from home on Mondays and Fridays.
Critics have labelled the office rental as unnecessary and extravagant.
“When you consider that two out of five days are work-from-home, and the exec pay and the dollars spent on contractors … it adds to the overall picture of wasteful spending,” a council staff member said.
“It would not be hard to find alternative and cheaper office space for 100 people, it’s not a large organisation.”
Teaching Council chairman David Ferguson.
Asked to comment on the concerns about executive pay and office rental expenditure in light of the Francis report, and the amount received by the council in teacher levies, Ferguson said: “What these reports have made clear is that significant change is required across multiple areas of the Teaching Council. A review of all spending will form an important part of this work as the Teaching Council refocuses on its core regulatory role.”
The Herald asked Stanford whether Hoskin had been receiving full pay while on leave and whether she would receive a severance package, but she also declined to comment.
“Those are questions you’re going to have to put to David Ferguson.”
But Stanford said teachers had long questioned the agency’s “scope creep” and many would want answers about where the money they paid in fees had been spent.
She said recent revelations and report findings had identified serious failings at the council that could only be addressed by new leadership and strong governance, including better accountability, monitoring and oversight.
The appointment of Francis – a “highly respected operator with strong, extensive experience in organisational change and strategy” – would help get the organisation refocused on its core role, Stanford said.
“The Teaching Council has been identified as having a number of serious, pressing issues that need to be resolved in order for it to fulfil its roles effectively and enable trust and confidence heading into the future,” she said.
“Ms Francis has shown that she has a strong, clear understanding of changes that need to happen, as outlined in her own report.
“I am glad that her expertise will join the board as they work to restore the Teaching Council to a position where it is able to operate and serve teachers, children and the sector brilliantly.”
‘Must meet the highest standards’
Ferguson announced Hoskin’s resignation yesterday in an all-staff email.
“The Teaching Council and Ms Hoskin agree that it is in the best interests of the parties for Ms Hoskin to resign to enable the Teaching Council to focus on the profession it serves.”
Tom Gott would remain as acting chief executive while the council undertakes a recruitment process for a new leader.
Hoskin’s resignation follows the release of two recent highly critical reports.
The Francis review found the organisation was focused on “building the mana” of teachers and “being liked by the profession”, rather than its core role of child protection.
The Francis review was commissioned after a Herald investigation revealed the case of Timothy Fisher, who was granted registration and certification despite historical indecency convictions and a 2014 warning from police that he should not have unsupervised access to children.
Fisher went on to abuse nine young girls at an after-school tutoring company linked to Crimson Consulting in 2023 and 2024. He is now in prison.
Timothy Fisher in the dock at the Manukau District Court for sentencing on 14 charges, including committing indecent acts on children. Photo / Sylvie Whinray
Last week’s PSC report found the council “did not appropriately manage all aspects” of a conflict of interest when awarding more than $1.1m in contracts to Clemenger UnLtd, whose managing director was Lesley Hoskin’s husband Brett Hoskin.
The PSC probe was sparked by a whistleblower’s protected disclosure that was sent to Stanford’s office last year.
The report found “serious and repeated failures” in the Teaching Council’s procurement and conflict-of-interest processes between late 2018 and early 2025.
Lesley Hoskin had “consistently declared the conflict arising from her husband’s role, was not involved in awarding the contracts and did not direct any person to award the contracts to Clemenger”, the PSC report found.
“We did not, however, see evidence that the chief executive’s husband’s shareholding was appropriately declared.
“We also consider that the Teaching Council’s approach of simply excluding the chief executive from key parts of procurement processes involving Clemenger did not appropriately manage all aspects of the conflict of interest, including any perception risks.”
Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche said the failures were not matters of minor or technical non-compliance, but reflected poor oversight and controls, painting a “concerning picture” over the use of public money.
“The council is responsible for upholding high professional standards for teachers,” Roche said.
“It must also meet the highest standards itself. In this case, basic public sector expectations were not met and in some areas, the council fell well short.”
Responding last week, Ferguson said the newly appointed governing board had fully co-operated throughout the five-month PSC investigation.
The board was “fully committed to immediate change to restore teachers’ trust and confidence in their professional regulatory body”.
Earlier this month, the Herald revealed Stanford had requested an urgent independent probe into the Teaching Council to check if child protection failures at the agency had allowed potential sexual predators to gain access to classrooms.
The Ministry of Education has also launched a separate legal analysis to identify potential loopholes that may have allowed dangerous actors such as Fisher to slip through the cracks.
Lane Nichols is Auckland desk editor for the NZ Herald with more than 20 years’ experience in the industry.
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