Tēnā koutou katoa and warm

Pacific greetings,

I am pleased to welcome Associate Professor Meegan Hall as the new Co-Chair of the Ako Aotearoa National Centre for Tertiary Teaching Excellence establishment board. Meegan has worked with Ako Aotearoa on quality teaching initiatives through her leadership of research and innovation projects, and leading work on teaching fellowships at Victoria University of Wellington with Ako Aotearoa strategic partner Advance HE. Meegan is Co-Chair alongside Derek McCormack.

The Ako Aotearoa National Centre for Tertiary Teaching Excellence Board.

Back row: Rebecca Kiddle, Diane Lithgow, Mel Barnes, Paora Ammunson, Dr Shireen Maged.

Front row: Derek McCormack, Associate Professor Meegan Hall, Helen Lomax.

Our team has been working on a range of professional learning and development opportunities and projects that aim to support you in your organisation’s educational practice. We have facilitated nine in-house sessions so far this year on topics such as Māori cultural capability, Pacific cultural capability, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and dyslexia. We also hosted a pilot in-house session of ‘Six steps to success: Exploring ako’ – a new workshop based on the recent Ako Aotearoa-funded project Ako Explored – Six principles for enhancing learner outcomes in tertiary education. As a result of the pilot, participants said they can now “introduce more ways to let students know the expectations of the course…as well as how to set them fun and creative tasks to reach their goals.” We aim to add this workshop to our public PLD offerings later this year.

We are pleased to have already taken part in numerous discussions with a wide range of sector groups about ways we can support tertiary kaimahi, educators and trainers. A highlight for some of the Ako Aotearoa team was the opportunity to attend the ACE Aotearoa Hui Fono in Rotorua earlier this month. Hui Fono provided two wonderful days of valuable professional learning and making connections with Māori and Pacific working in adult and community education.

Attendees of the ACE Aotearoa Hui Fono at Paratehoata-te-Kohea Marae (Tūnohopū) in Rotorua.

Photo credit: ACE Aotearoa. 

We also have many exciting events coming up throughout the year to provide important kōrerorero and talanoa opportunities. Our first Regional Forum of 2024 is kicking off in Ōtepoti Dunedin this Friday (with the Central and Northern Forums to come), where we’ll be exploring the theme of ‘Tūhono: Connecting Traditions and Futures in Tertiary Learning’. We also look forward to supporting and attending the WILNZ Conference next month, as well as the ACE Conference in June and the ITENZ Conference in September.

In times of change for the tertiary education sector, Ako Aotearoa is proud to support you in your mahi to enable greater learner success. Stay tuned for what we have in store for 2024 and keep pursuing growth and new ideas.

Nā mātou noa nā,

Helen Lomax and
the Ako Aotearoa team

Te Whatu Kairangi 2024 – clarifications to new

te reo Māori award  

Thank you to everyone who attended our four Te Whatu Kairangi information sessions in late February and early March. We hope you gained some useful knowledge about the Te Tohu Reo Māori, General, Kaupapa Māori and Le Moana Mua awards, and how you can submit a strong nomination.

We have made some clarifications to the nomination process for the Te Tohu Reo Māori award, which has just been introduced for kaiako te reo Māori in 2024. The process has been simplified to two steps:

1. Nominate a kaiako who teaches te reo Māori. Submissions close 5pm, 16 April.
2. Shortlisted nominees provide extra information. Submissions close 5pm, 28 June.

We believe that through this new award, outstanding kaiako te reo Māori can share their commitment and responsiveness to learner needs, strengthen their teaching or training practice, enhance their career, and access award money to advance their work.

Learn more about Te Tohu Reo Māori by watching the video below, or read about all the Te Whatu Kairangi awards on the Ako Aotearoa website. A reminder that nominations for all awards close 5pm, 28 June 2024.

Ako Aotearoa Regional Forums

We look forward to seeing everyone who has registered for the Southern Regional Forum in Ōtepoti Dunedin this Friday. We have excellent speakers lined up for the day – check out the full programme if you haven’t already. I’d also like to thank long time Ako Aotearoa colleagues, The Tarn Group for sponsoring this event.

As a follow-up to the Southern Regional Forum, we’d like to invite you to ‘The Keys to Excellent Teaching’ – a free online session with Dr Claire Goode. In this session, you will gain a deeper understanding of what teaching excellence looks like, and how teachers perceive their own practice and their impact on others. Visit the registration page to learn more, and keep an eye out for more sessions in the Regional Forum Online series.

If you’re in the Central or Northern areas of the North Island, register now for the Central Regional Forum in Palmerston North on 17 May or the Northern Regional Forum in Hamilton on 21 June. The draft programme for the Central Regional Forum will soon be available.

Māori Cultural Capability learner interviews

Kaiwhakahaere Mātauranga Māori Dr Mei Winitana spoke to three learners about their experience with the Māori Cultural Capability: Self-directed courses. These courses allow tertiary education kaimahi to develop their Māori cultural awareness and implement useful strategies to enhance the teaching and learning experience for all. Listen to the interviews on the Ako Aotearoa YouTube channel. 

Thank you to learners Virginia Watson (Dive Otago), John Taylor (Massey University) and Jenny Harlow (University of Canterbury) for sharing their experience.

Registrations for the Ako, Manaakitanga, Rangatiratanga and Whanaungatanga self-directed courses are open now – you can sign up and complete the modules at any time, and submit the reflective practice assessment before 31 October 2024 to receive a digital badge.