After a period of 40 years of relative political and professional consensus, teacher education in New Zealand since 1990 has undergone considerable change. This has taken place in a policy environment where the rhetoric of choice and accountability has been dominant and suspicion of professionals and academics widespread. This paper examines a series of major reports on teacher education in each decade since 1950, from the Consultative Committee chaired by Arnold Campbell in 1951 to the Green Paper of 1997, tracking both the professional expectations and the social contexts. It focuses in particular on the changing concepts of professionalism and accountability and argues that a new order needs to be built that incorporates wider perspectives but does not silence the professionals.