Tō mātou takohanga | Our role

Ako Aotearoa holds a vital place in Aotearoa New Zealand’s tertiary education sector. We are an agent of change for quality teaching and learner success.

Guided by the Tertiary Education Strategy, we partner and collaborate with tertiary organisations, Government departments, wider industry and workplaces to prioritise educational and cultural capability building. We value learners as partners and advocate for diverse learners through their education journey – wherever they choose to learn across our tertiary system.

Our values | Ō Mātou Uara

Ā Mātou Mahi | Our Work

Our programmes and services align with the Tertiary Education Strategy to support tertiary and vocational education in Aotearoa.

Ako Aotearoa | Programmes and Services

Whakaūnga ki te whakatupu āheinga mātauranga | Emphasis on building educational capability

We know teaching matters. The evidence tells us it’s the most important contributor to learning success.

That’s why everything we do is geared towards better understanding high quality teaching and using that information to improve tertiary teaching practice in Aotearoa New Zealand.

This is what we call 'building educational capability'.

Ako Aotearoa | Knowledge Centre

Ako Aotearoa Blog | Te Rangitaki

Whakanuitanga angitū me te whakawhiti kōrero | Celebrating success and sharing stories

Every year we hosted Te Whatu Kairangi, the Aotearoa Tertiary Educator Awards (previously the Tertiary Teaching Excellence Awards). It's our way to acknowledge the very best in the field and to say: you nailed it, well done - now help us share your good practice with others!

Te Whatu Kairangi | Aotearoa Tertiary Educator Awards

Whakaūnga ki te mahi tahi-ā-rangahau | Commitment to research collaboration

We’re big on collaboration and sharing knowledge. We know there is no single way to boost tertiary teaching within such a diverse sector.

At Ako Aotearoa, we work alongside others to explore and understand what teaching excellence looks like in different contexts and to check our understanding through formal evaluation.

Ko te Rangahau me te Auaha | Research and Innovation

Te mahi ā-rōpū me ētahi atu | Teaming up with others

Much of what we do involves teaming up with others who know about and are passionate about high quality teaching in the tertiary sector.

We work alongside adult and community education providers, wānanga, universities and industry training organisations, institutes of technology, polytechnics, as well as private training and workplace training providers.

We take every opportunity to share what we're learning about tertiary teaching excellence with New Zealand's policy and research organisations. We share our work with the Tertiary Education Commission, the Ministry of Education, the New Zealand Qualifications Authority, the Industry Training Federation, the New Zealand Council for Educational Research and many more.

Ako Aotearoa | Tertiary Education Sector submissions

Ako Aotearoa Manako Programme | Briefing papers

Whakahaerenga kākano-rua | A bicultural organisation

Ako Aotearoa aspires to be a bicultural organisation. We are guided by the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi, our own Te Tauākī Ako service delivery framework and our Māori caucus. We are committed to improving the participation, engagement and success of Māori in Aotearoa New Zealand's tertiary education sector.

Ako Aotearoa | Māori Learner Success

Ako Aotearoa | Pacific Learner Success

Our strategic goals

Our current business plan is built around five Strategic Goals linked to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and our core values:

1. Te Tiriti o Waitangi guides all that we do as we seek to be a leading body for the tertiary sector in a diverse Aotearoa New Zealand.
2. Leading change in teaching and learning excellence and educational capability.
3. Valuing learners as partners – their diverse voices, experiences and aspirations.
4. Tackling racism and bias wherever it occurs with strengths-based approaches to improve educational outcomes for Māori and Pacific Peoples.
5. Building language, literacy, numeracy and cultural capability in foundation and bridging education and workplace learning.

Our annual reports contain highlights of previous years' activities.