# Education Minister Slams Teaching Council Over Sex Offender Teaching

> Education Minister Erica Stanford accuses Teaching Council of allowing sex offender to teach despite warnings.
- Title: Education Minister Slams Teaching Council Over Sex Offender…
- Summary: Education Minister Erica Stanford accuses Teaching Council of allowing sex offender to teach despite warnings. Education Minister Erica Stanford says…
- Keywords: education minister, teaching council, timothy fisher, sex offender, teacher, child safety, practising certificate, red stamp warning, politics, news, Education, Minister
- Source: RNZ — https://rnz.co.nz/news/crime-and-justice/1874190/education-minister-erica-stanford-slams-teaching-council-after-sex-offender-allowed-to-teach
- Author: RNZ | Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa
- Published: 2026-10-13T04:03:50+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: education minister, teaching council, timothy fisher, sex offender, teacher, child safety, practising certificate, red stamp warning, politics, news
## Education Minister Slams Teaching Council
Education Minister Erica Stanford says the Teaching Council has a rotten culture that prioritizes being liked over protecting children.
## Sex Offender Allowed to Teach
Timothy Fisher taught at 12 schools since 2011 despite multiple warnings and a police red stamp warning.
## Report Finds Council Failures
Barrister Katherine Anderson KC found the council should have struck Fisher off by 2015 but failed to act.
## Fisher's Conviction Details
Fisher was jailed for four years and five months after pleading guilty to indecently assaulting nine students.
## Council's Safeguarding Failures
The council failed to act despite Fisher disclosing past crimes and police warnings about unsupervised child access.
## Victims Advisor Calls for Action
Chief Victims Advisor Ruth Money says the council's negligence risks thousands of children and demands heads roll.
## Minister Calls for Reforms
Stanford says the Teaching Council needs urgent reforms to ensure teachers have current practising certificates and child safety.
## Key takeaway

Education Minister Erica Stanford says Teaching Council failed to remove sex offender Timothy Fisher from teaching due to poor processes, risking child safety.