Teaching Council apologises after review finds failures in Timothy Fisher case

An independent review has found the Teaching Council had grounds to cancel Timothy Fisher's registration as early as 2015. The regulator failed to act for nearly a decade before Fisher was finally struck off following his conviction and imprisonment for sexual offending against young girls.

The review by Katherine Anderson KC revealed that the council ignored a police 'red flag' warning in July 2014 which recommended Fisher not have unsupervised access to children. Instead of acting immediately, the council waited eight months before asking Fisher for an explanation.

Fisher was sentenced in 2025 to four years and five months in prison after pleading guilty to indecently assaulting nine students, making objectionable recordings, and possessing child exploitation material. Most of the offending occurred in 2024 at a private educational institute.

Education Minister Erica Stanford criticised a 'rotten culture' within the council, stating it had 'completely lost their way' by prioritising being liked by the profession over protecting children. The council's chairman, Patrick Walsh, apologised to victims and admitted the organisation 'dropped the ball'.

How it developed

• Wed 14 Oct, 5:00amEducation Minister Erica Stanford questioned the leadership of NZEI president Ripeka Lessels due to her previous role as deputy chair of the Teaching Council during the period of failure.

Where reports differ

• One report describes the review as 870 pages, while another describes it as 127 pages

Compiled from reports by NZ Herald, Stuff, 1News, Otago Daily Times and RNZ.