Despite receiving challenging news recently, Ako Aotearoa is heartened by the messages of support received daily from people across the sector. Ako Aotearoa remains completely committed to continuing as much of its work as possible until the end of 2025.
Te Whatu Kairangi and the Literacy and Numeracy Educator awards (LNE)
Ako Aotearoa can confirm that the 2025 Te Whatu Kairangi awards and LNE awards are proceeding as planned. The deadline for all Te Whatu Kairangi nominations remains as 5pm, 27 June and 5pm, 30 June for the LNE Awards.
2025 AARIA contestable funding round
Ako Aotearoa would like to acknowledge the many high-quality proposals submitted to the 2025 AARIA Contestable Funding Round. Unfortunately, due to the cessation of Government funding, Ako Aotearoa is unable to proceed with its plan to fund new research projects this round. However, the AARIA evaluation panel is committed to completing its review process and is open to providing feedback on full proposals that were submitted. If you would like to receive feedback on your proposal, please contact Dr Marvin Hao Wu at marvin.wu@ako.ac.nz.
The AARIA team also aims to continue supporting all current AARIA-funded projects that are either yet to be completed or are currently in the dissemination phase, through to the end of 2025. These projects remain supported to ensure the successful completion and sharing of their outcomes with the tertiary education sector.
Staying connected
New resources: AI in tertiary education
Ako Aotearoa is excited to launch an exciting new AI powered tool on 18 June. This tool is designed to assist NZ tertiary educators in planning, delivering, and evaluating effective learning and teaching.
Supporting that, the team has developed a collection of online resources exploring the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in tertiary education. These resources offer practical tips and key ideas to help educators navigate this new terrain.
Southern Regional Forum
The third Regional Forum will take place on 19 August in Christchurch – hosted by the Southern Sector Services Manager, Jennifer Leahy.
Sponsorship of tertiary events
Each year Ako Aotearoa sponsors a diverse range of tertiary events and can confirm that those already committed under the programme for 2025 will go ahead.
That includes events led by: ACE Aotearoa, ITENZ, ICDE, Otago Polytechnic (Neuroability Symposium), APSTE, FABENZ and others.
Professional learning and development
The Manako PLD programme will continue until the end of the year, with June's theme focused on Workplace Language Literacy and Numeracy (LLN).
Due to increasing demand for in-house PLD in other topic areas, Ako Aotearoa will focus on delivering to staff groups and encourage organisations to contact us to discuss their needs through to December.
