Despite the announcement of our funding cessation, Ako Aotearoa remains committed to continuing as much of its work as possible until the end of 2025. Here are our latest updates:
Mātauranga Māori
The planned Tangata Tiriti Community of Practice, hosted by the Auckland Workers’ Educational Association, will continue as scheduled. Led by Christine Herzog, with support from our Northern Sector Services Manager, Ruth Peterson, this CoP is designed to encourage educators to engage in joint activities and discussions, support one another, and share knowledge on how to apply Te Tiriti in their practice. The team plan to have the CoP ready to launch around the end of August, and we look forward to keeping you updated on its development.
OurMāori Cultural Coaching courses remain open for enrolments until 30 September 2025.Developed by Dr Mei Winitana for Ako Aotearoa, these courses offer participants a unique opportunity to receive guided, personalised support from a Māori cultural coach, while deepening their understanding of Māori cultural values.
Ako Aotearoa is also looking forward to hosting theTuia Te Ako - Māori tertiary education monthly hui webinars from August to November. More information will be shared in the coming month.
Staying connected
Our third Regional Forum takes place on 19 August in Christchurch - hosted by the Southern Sector Services Manager, Jennifer Leahy. Register now and read the draft programme. We look forward to connecting with you there.
Ongoing updates
We will bring you regular progress updates on Ako Aotearoa's programmes and services through this E-news.
Also in this Ako Alert:
Website pick of free resources
Connecting with our community
Blog #4 | Rethinking assessment: What AI means for Aotearoa’s tertiary education sector
Ako Aotearoa is inviting voices from across the tertiary sector to take part in a short survey exploring three key themes: teaching excellence, thought leadership, and sector collaboration.
This is the final phase of our strategic sector consultation project. Your insights will help shape our recommendations to support the advancement of tertiary education in Aotearoa.
You can share your views here. This survey is available until 5pm, 18 July.
Leader of the Year Tangata Tiriti Award
We were delighted that Pale Sauni, our Pacific Priorities and Cultural Leader, received the ACE Aotearoa Leader of the Year Tangata Tiriti award at the 2025 conference.
This award honours ACE leaders for their outstanding service and impact in adult community education.
Ako Aotearoa is extremely proud of Pale and were pleased to see his mahi formally recognised.
Image accredited to ACE Aotearoa
Tangata Whenua Educator of the Year
Image accredited to ACE Aotearoa
We would also like to commend Whaea Rahera Shortland for winning the Tangata Whenua Educator of the Year Award, sponsored by Ako Aotearoa.
Whaea Rahera has been a champion for te reo Māori, and we were proud to see her honoured for her contributions to adult and community education.
Previous Prime Minister's Supreme Award 2007 recipient, Dr Selena Chan, from Ara Institute of Canterbury was involved as an editor in the release of the new resource, AI in Vocational Education and Training. This publication aims to reframe the role of AI in education, particularly around shifting the narrative away from plagiarism prevention.
ConCOVE are hosting the Tūhura: Insights to Actions conference on 20 and 21 August.
This two-day event in Wellington, brings together research, policy, and practice to shape the future of vocational education in New Zealand’s construction and infrastructure sectors.
We’re excited to announce that we have published a brand-new ‘Cyber Security’ collection for the Digital Literacy Educator Pathway on Pathways Awarua.
This self-directed course has been designed specifically for educators in Aotearoa New Zealand to provide them with the tools, knowledge, and confidence to protect their digital environment.
More news from Ako Aotearoa
Blog #4 | Rethinking assessment: What AI means for Aotearoa’s tertiary education sector
Our latest Ako Aotearoa blog post has just been published:
As artificial intelligence continues to evolve, it’s reshaping how educators think about assessment in tertiary education. With contributions by Graeme Smith, this blog explores the challenges and opportunities AI presents, and how educators can adapt their practices to ensure fair, meaningful, and future-focused assessment.
Ako Aotearoa recently hosted the national launch of AIHOA, a new AI-powered teaching support tool, alongside a curated collection of AI resources for tertiary educators.
AIHOA and this new collection of AI resources have been specifically developed to support Aotearoa educators with teaching and learning tasks and grow their AI capability.
Nominations for the 2025 Te Whatu Kairangi Awards recently closed, and we were thrilled to see a total of 33 nominations submitted across the following:
2 PTEs
2 Wānanga
12 ITPs
17 Universities
Since 2007, these awards have celebrated outstanding educators across Aotearoa who make a lasting impact on learners, whānau, and their communities, and we look forward to announcing the 2025 awardees in September.
We are delighted to support Aiono Manu Fa'aea, Chair of the Association of Pasifika Staff in Tertiary Education Incorporated (APSTE) and moderator of the Community of Phenomenal Practice to present webinars focused on Pacific learner success.
Next webinars:
Tuesday 8 July, 1pm - 2pm with Dr Ruth Faleolo - La Trobe University, Queensland
Tuesday 15 July, 2pm - 3pm with Toleafoa Dr Yvonne Ualesi - AUT
Tuesday 22 July, 12pm - 1pm with Misa Fia Turner, Krishan Mani, and Tia Roos - MIT
Tuesday 29 July, 12pm - 1pm with Rev Dr Pennie Togiatama - MIT
Our Manako PLD for July will support educators in creating a toolkit for their learners which will support their language and literacy development.
Delivered by Dr Damon Whitten and Dr Janet McHardy, this four-workshop series covers key concepts, tools, and strategies educators can use to support their learners:
Ako Aotearoa’s Māori Cultural Coaching programme offers five online, self-directed courses, each centred on a key Māori value: Manaakitanga, Rangatiratanga, Whanaungatanga, Wairuatanga, and Ako.
Designed specifically for tertiary educators, each course includes around 10 hours of flexible learning, supported by a dedicated Māori cultural coach through one-on-one onlinesessions and fortnightly drop-ins. Whether you're looking to deepen your understanding or apply Māori values more intentionally in your classroom, these courses provide practical, culturally grounded guidance.
Presented by Dr John Benseman, this session will explore ways to increase research-informed practice not only for adult literacy and numeracy teachers but also programme organisers and administrators.
Sponsored events
Annual APSTE Fono
18 - 19 August
2025
ITENZ Conference
16 - 17 September
2025
NuroAbility Symposium
25 - 26 September
2025
Ako Aotearoa, c/o Massey University, Wallace Street, Mt Cook, Wellington 6021, New Zealand, 0800 692 566
