Ako Aotearoa is a government-funded organisation committed to supporting the country’s tertiary sector teachers, trainers and educators be the best they can be.

Emphasis on building educational capability

Whakaūnga ki te whakatupu āheinga mātauranga

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'.

Celebrating success and sharing stories

Whakanuitanga angitū me te whakawhiti kōrero

Every year we host 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!

Commitment to research collaboration

Whakaūnga ki te mahi tahi-ā-rangahau

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.

Teaming up with others

Te mahi ā-rōpū me ētahi atu

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.

A bicultural organisation

Whakahaerenga kākano-rua

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.