As Ako Aotearoa staff come to terms with the impact of the October 1st announcement to disestablish our roles, I wanted to take this opportunity to acknowledge all the messages of support that our staff are receiving across the motu. It means a lot to us, as a team that has always placed great importance on relationships and working together with the sector.
I also want to acknowledge those coming forward with expressions of interest for our resources and initiatives. It's heartening to see genuine interest in retaining sector access to material that is proven to make a difference for teaching and learning in many different contexts.
We are currently working with our host, Massey University, and the Ako Aotearoa Board, to develop the best solutions for the future and to ensure longevity and integrity of the Ako Aotearoa resources. At this stage I can confirm that discussions are being had to retain a large amount of NCTTE resources and the Ako Aotearoa website to the end of 2026. We will bring you updates as soon as we can.
In the meantime, our work continues apace (as you will see from this enews) and we are very proud to be managing the Te Whatu Kairangi 2025 Awards ceremony here in Wellington on Wednesday 5 November. Twenty-seven educators will be formally celebrated at that event, hosted by the Hon Penny Simmonds, Minister for Vocational Education - a highlight for us all.
Ako Aotearoa was proud to announce that 11 awards featuring 27 educators have been recognised in this year's Te Whatu Kairangi | Aotearoa Educator Awards.
We're also looking forward to the awards ceremony held in the Great Hall of the Dominion Museum Building,
in Wellington on 5 November, where the Prime Minister's Educator of the Year will be announced.
Manako Senior Advisor, Annette Tofaeono (pictured right) presented at the Australian Council for Adult Literacy (ACAL) in Melbourne last month.
Annette's presentation highlighted how the DFQM and Tapatoru programmes equip tertiary educators and organisations to better support their ākonga (learners). Her session quickly drew large numbers and had to be moved to a larger room to accommodate for the larger turnout.
Pathways Awarua Professional Learning Manager, Michael Grawe, was recently invited to introduce the learning platform at this year’s Networking Symposium for English in Vocational Education in Leipzig, Germany.
Participants were equally inspired by the Ako Aotearoa Educator Pathways hosted on Pathways Awarua. With particular interest in the professional learning modules on Universal Design for Learning (UDL), Neurodiversity, and Digital Literacy.
Ako Aotearoa at ITENZ Conference
Ako Aotearoa was proud to sponsor and attend the 2025 ITENZ conference in Queenstown last month. We were also excited to present the Supreme Award to Y-Education during the event.
Ako Aotearoa has been sponsoring the ITENZ conference (and is predecessor NZAPEP) since 2009 and was proud to present this year's Supreme Award to Y-Education for outstanding quality and learner outcomes.
From left to right: Corrina Gestro-Best (Ako Aotearoa Director), Fion Breen and Leona van der Heyden
(Y-Education). Photo accredited to ITENZ
News From Ako Aotearoa
Review into professional learning and development
We recently published a sector-wide review of professional learning and development in the tertiary sector and were pleased to share it with key contacts, including Vice Chancellors, TEC, Academic Quality Managers, and PLD related staff.
Key findings from the report identified nine pressing needs for kaiako in 2025 including AI, assessment and cultural capability, collaboration on PLD and delivery methods.
Join us online on 13 November as we honour the 2025 recipients of the Tapatoru Ako Professional Practice Award.
The online ceremony will formally recognise the work of this year's educators and organisations who've participated in the Tapatoru programme and celebrate their journey towards excellence in education.
Join us at the online ceremony on 27 November as we celebrate this year's recipients of the DFQM and their efforts to lead the way in creating inclusive, supportive learning environments for learners with dyslexia.
The DFQM is the only dyslexia quality mark of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere and since its creation in 2021,19 organisations have been awarded this unique quality mark.
The Manako team is thrilled to announce the publication of the latest briefing paper to the Minister of Vocational Education, Minister of Universities and other key stakeholders.
Our final PLD theme focuses on digital literacy with workshops that are designed to support educators in strengthening their understanding of cyber security and digital safety.
Jennifer Leahy, Southern Sector Services Manager and 2020 ACE Aotearoa Educator of the Year Tangata Tiriti, will be running four in-person workshops in November.
"I wish to thank and farewell the sector through these free in-person workshops, as a small token of appreciation for the support Ako Aotearoa has received over the years." Jennifer says.
You are receiving this email because you have signed up on our website, or opted to receive our newsletters when registering for an Ako Aotearoa event.
.png?upscale=true&width=480&upscale=true&name=Scoping%20a%20digital%20skills%20framework%20-%20Report%20%20(2).png)
.png?upscale=true&width=480&upscale=true&name=Tapatoru%20logo%20(1).png)
