As 2024 draws to a close and the holiday season begins, I'm pleased to not only share with you our latest news, but also some key highlights of the year that the Ako Aotearoa team has been a part of.
Maimai aroha - tribute to Professor Angus Hikairo Macfarlane
Native kawakawa leaves to symbolise a period of mourning
The team at Ako Aotearoa and I were deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Professor Angus Hikairo Macfarlane late last month. Professor Macfarlane was the author and project lead of the Huakina Mai: Doorways Toward Culturally Responsive Education project, which developed a good practice guide in 2013. This guide demonstrated how a summer course illuminated the relationships between diversity, equity, engagement, and educational success. He later went on to receive the Te Whatu Kairangi Kaupapa Māori award in 2015 for his career-long dedication to kaupapa Māori advancements, perspectives, tikanga and reo.
After 16 years, our national office has moved to Massey University's Wellington Campus. We're particularly excited to share this new office space with Te Tumu Whakatipu, formerly PACE. On 4 December, staff from both Te Tumu Whakatipu and Ako Aotearoa joined representatives of local iwi, Te Ātiawa, to bless the new office. Although small, this was a special event, as both organisations not only share a workspace but also a shared goal of improving learning success for all learners.
2024 was a historic year for the Te Whatu Kairangi Awards, as we introduced the new Te Tohu Reo Māori award, recognising the practice of kaiako who teach te reo Māori. Additionally, for the first time in 23 years, a joint award was presented for the Prime Minister's Educator of the Year. This event reminded us of the passion and dedication of New Zealand tertiary educators and their commitment to making a difference in the lives of their learners.
I'm also pleased to share that throughout 2024, our Manako team have shared 10 briefing papers to the Minister for Tertiary Education and Skills and other key stakeholders. These briefing papers are aligned with the current Tertiary Education Commission strategy and aim to enhance the capability of the tertiary teaching workforce.
After a challenging 2024, I wish you all a festive and Merry Christmas with your whānau, friends, and loved ones. I look forward to continuing our work together in 2025 to improve the lives of our ākonga and their communities.
Ako Aotearoa will be closed from 24 December until 3 January for the holiday season.
Helen Lomax and the Ako Aotearoa team
Te Whatu Kairangi 2024 Awards Ceremony
This year we were honoured to be able to recognise and celebrate 16 tertiary educators at the Te Whatu Kairangi Awards Ceremony in parliament. During the ceremony, we celebrated the first Te Tohu Reo Māori awardee who was also the recipient of the Prime Ministers Joint Educator of The Year.
Nominations and submissions for the 2025 round open earlier next year. If you'd like to find out more about the different awards, the nomination process and how to enter visit the dedicated Te Whatu Kairangi page on our website.
AARIA Research and innovation funding
The AARIA 2025 funding round aims to catalyse systems-level change within the tertiary education sector. This year, the AARIA Contestable Funding team received an outstanding number of proposals, 64 full submissions and six successfully
co-funded projects.
Dr Marvin Wu, AARIA Programme Manager recently expressed his confidence in this year's selection of AARIA funded projects in a news item last month. “We have every confidence that these projects will make a valuable contribution to the tertiary education sector, and we are excited for them to get underway.”
Explore some of the 2024 research projects recently co-funded below.
We plan to open the next contestable funding round in March 2025. To find out more about AARIA, visit the research and innovation page on our website or contact the AARIA team at research@ako.ac.nz.
Manako updates
Dyslexia-Friendly Quality Mark (DFQM)
In 2024 seven organisations across New Zealand were accredited with the three-year DFQM – being recognised for their dedication and commitment to supporting Dyslexic learners.
"Learners are at the center of what we do. The DFQM award is an endorsement of our ongoing commitment and motivation to continue understanding, developing strategies and resources that accommodate the diverse needs of all our learners.”
- Hato Hone | St. John's Public Training and Clinical Services:
On 28 November 2024, Ako Aotearoa staff and DFQM facilitators awarded the DFQM to the following organisations:
Skills 4 Work
Premier Skills Group
Number 10 | Southland Youth One Stop Shop
ETCO Skills Group
Hato Hone|St Johns Public Training and Clinical Services
Our next intake will begin in March 2025. The DFQM team have limited places available for this intake, so please get in touch with us by filling out the
DFQM enquiry form and we will get back to you with more information.
Tapatoru Ako Professional Practice Award
Thirty-eight staff members were celebrated for their dedication to professional development and the Tapatoru programme in 2024.
“The Tapatoru team are not only great facilitators and teachers, but they walk the talk, they live out their values-based Mahi" -Whitecliffe College Lecturer
Supported by the Tertiary Education Commission, the Tapatoru Ako Professional Practice Awards promote the professionalisation of the tertiary sector through a holistic, learner-centred, and values-based approach. This framework fosters organisational capability building to better support learner success.
On 7 November, staff from the following organisations became recipients of the Tapatoru Ako Professional Practice Award:
Blueprint for Learning
Hair to Train
Pacific Coast Technical Institute (PCTI)
Whitecliffe College
Te Mahi Ako
Skills Update
Any tertiary organisation can register for Tapatoru through a monthly subscription. Subscription is $275 + GST per month for a group of up to 20 staff.
Our Sector Services Managers were thrilled to deliver another successful series of the Ako Aotearoa Regional Forums in 2024. This year’s theme, Tūhono: Connecting Traditions and Futures in Tertiary Learning, brought together over 280 attendees across three events. We've received fantastic feedback, with participants sharing their biggest takeaways and highlighting the value of the forums:
"We may be a very diverse sector but so much is in common!"
- Southern Forum Attendee
"I really appreciated getting a wider sense of the different projects that Ako Aotearoa is spearheading and a better understanding of the broader tertiary sector." - Central Forum Attendee
"The calibre of the chosen speakers was exceptional."
- Northern Forum Attendee
Planning is already underway for the 2025 regional forums with early registrations opening in the new year.
2024 Sponsored events
This year we were delighted to partner with the following organisations in sponsoring their events:
Work-Integrated Learning New Zealand (WILNZ)
ACE Aotearoa
Association of Pacific Staff in Tertiary Education (APSTE)
Te Mana Ākonga
Flexible Learning Aotearoa New Zealand (FLANZ)
Independant Tertiary Education New Zealand (ITENZ)
Tūwhitia Symposium
Tertiary Education Research New Zealand (TERNZ)
Updates to professional learning
Professional learning and development
We're excited to be bringing you a new way of delivering professional development for selected PLD for 2025. Starting in March, each month of the year will feature a dedicated theme focusing on key challenges faced by educators across Aotearoa New Zealand. During these themed months, we’ll offer weekly lunchtime workshops, along with additional complementary content hosted on Pathways Awarua to help you upskill in the month’s focus area.
What's new to PLD in 2025?
Themed months focused on priority areas
Multi-level workshops to deepen your learning
Extended learning opportunities on Pathways Awarua
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