An academic, Peter Dinniss, discussed the then emerging issue of professionalism in the early childhood education sector in 1974. "There has been much debate over the term ['professional'] together with discussion as to whether teaching is a profession" (1974: 11). On the cusp of the 21st century, the Education Council (now renamed Teaching Council) of New Zealand consulted with teachers on their register about a professional code. This article follows the emergence of the professionalism discourse. I examine traces of the 'strategies, tactics and procedures' in a genealogy of the managerial technicist process of education. My interest lies in emergent 'responsibilization' of teachers over the period. I examine the power/knowledge of the 'profession' in Aotearoa, New Zealand, as teachers invent and govern themselves. I ask if the Council's discourse of professionalism through registration of individuals can be re-envisioned through the collective and democratic practices evident in parent-led services.