This new award is designed to shine a light on the practice of Kaiako who are teaching Te Reo Māori anywhere across the tertiary sector. Te Tohu Reo Māori will celebrate those who have worked tirelessly with their ākonga, organisations, whānau and communities to normalise Te Reo Māori again in Aotearoa. One Te Tohu Reo Māori award worth $15,000 is offered in 2024.
Ako Aotearoa Director, Helen Lomax says, “With this new award Ako Aotearoa seeks to encourage and support Te Reo Māori me ngā tikanga to thrive. We are delighted to have the support and endorsement of the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) for this work.”
“Furthermore, the Tertiary Education Commission is supporting Te Reo Māori language revitalisation through its funding initiative - Te Tahua o Te Reo Kairangi. We are thrilled that the Ako Aotearoa Te Reo Māori award can contribute to Te Reo revitalisation,” says Ms Lomax.
“I also acknowledge Ako Aotearoa’s Kaihautū Mātauranga Māori, Deputy Director Dr Joseph Te Rito, who has been the principal driver of this award. Joe’s creation of the new award has the full support of Te Rūnanga Māori, Ako Aotearoa’s leading governance committee for Kaupapa Māori, and the Ako Aotearoa Board,” says Ms Lomax.
“Languages are inseparably linked to the social and cultural contexts in which they are used. Te Reo Māori is an intrinsically critical part of Te Tiriti o Waitangi,” says Dr Te Rito who is a Te Reo Māori expert and a passionate advocate since his involvement in the Te Reo Māori revitalisation campaign and Te Petihana Reo Maori petition to Parliament in 1972.
“This is an opportunity for the community to nominate and show their appreciation for the unsung Te Reo Māori heroes who have worked tirelessly at flax-roots level for years, to save our language from extinction. Nominations can be made by anyone, not just people working in tertiary organisations. That means ākonga/students right through to kaumātua.” says Dr Te Rito.
Nominations for Te Tohu Reo Māori award differ from the other Te Whatu Kairangi awards, with a two-step process. Read and download the criteria and guidelines document to find out more.
The other Te Whatu Kairangi awards include Kaupapa Māori, Le Moana Mua Pacific Awards, and General Awards. Individuals and Groups are encouraged to be nominated. Each individual award is worth $15,000. Groups receive $20,000, and an additional $10,000 is presented to one overall Te Whatu Kairangi awardee as “Educator of the Year”.
Te Whatu Kairangi together with its predecessor the Tertiary Teaching Excellence Awards, have been managed by Ako Aotearoa since 2007. The awards have recognised more than 270 individual and group tertiary educators for their sustained excellence in tertiary teaching and learning, who are making a difference to learners, their whānau and communities.
Find out more about Te Whatu Kairangi | Aotearoa Tertiary Educator Awards 2024.
Download the 2024 Criteria and Guidelines document.
Watch 5-minute videos about each 2023 Te Whatu Kairangi awardee individual and group.
