Teachers and doctors are losing the ability to self-regulate. What are the risks?

New Zealand has shifted regulatory control over teachers, doctors, and nurses from self-governing professional councils directly to government ministers. The Conversation reports that the Education and Training (System Reform) Amendment Act, passed last month, moves teacher education standards to the Ministry of Education and gives the education minister authority over most Teaching Council appointments. Similar changes are planned for health professional regulation. The Education Minister cites latest evidence on child safety and quality assurance as justification. But critics warn that overly prescriptive government control risks obscuring the complexity of teaching and healthcare. The authors also raise concerns about potential workforce devaluation—staff leaving the profession or seeking work overseas—and a chilling effect on whistleblowers, essential to functioning education and healthcare systems.

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