Ako Aotearoa Research and Innovation Agenda

The 2025 request for proposals aims to catalyse systems-level change within the tertiary education sector, with the goal of advancing more equitable learner outcomes.

We invite proposals for innovative, ako-centred research projects that explore potential solutions and enhance support mechanisms for ākonga and kaiako, as well as teaching and learning strategies that contribute to the following objectives:

• Facilitate system-wide change across the tertiary education sector that enables a more responsive, flexible, and innovative system to meet the diverse needs of learners and communities. Proposals should contribute to transformational change that supports greater collaboration, adaptability, and alignment with the Tertiary Education Strategy (TES) objectives, ensuring the system works for all New Zealanders.
• Ensure equitable outcomes for Māori, Pacific, neurodiverse, and disabled ākonga.
• Response to pressing global and local issues such as technological advances (eg: artificial intelligence); online learning; and the needs of learners from low socio-economic and low-income backgrounds.
• Improve systems and processes to support best practice tertiary education that focus on whole of organisational leadership and change to deliver the outcomes above, including organisational culture and design, the utilisation of data to support planning and action and review, and the connection between the organisation and its wider partners (such as iwi, industry and community).

The AARIA priorities align with the expectations of the National Centre for Tertiary Teaching Excellence (NCTTE) – funding goal 2.

TEC guidance states that the NCTTE Fund is to:

1. Build teaching capability of TEOs and educators.
2. Commission and conduct research, monitoring and evaluation about effective teaching.
3. Provide associated advice to the sector and government agencies.
4. Administer the Tertiary Teaching Awards.

Strategic goals

There are five strategic goals for Ako Aotearoa aligned to the Tertiary Education Strategy to inform the AARIA priorities:

1. As a Te Tiriti-o Waitangi-led organisation Ako Aotearoa seeks to be a leading body in the tertiary education sector in a diverse Aotearoa New Zealand.
2. To lead change in teaching and learning excellence and educational capability, being agile, adaptive, and impactful to support the Tertiary Education Strategy priorities.
3. To champion learners as Ako partners, valuing their experiences, voices, and aspirations and those of whānau and communities.
4. Barrier-free access and strengths-based approaches to improve educational and other outcomes particularly for Māori and Pacific Peoples.
5. To lead and build language, literacy, numeracy, and cultural educator capability in tertiary foundation and bridging education and workplace learning in Aotearoa.

The importance of research and innovation across the tertiary education system

Each level of the tertiary education system wants the same outcomes for ākonga, but each level has different knowledge needs to achieve this. For example:

• Government is interested in knowing about: the extent to which the objectives of the Tertiary Education Strategy (TES) are being met; the extent to which the RoVE changes are providing a coherent, seamless learning experience; and how to achieve equitable outcomes for Māori, Pacific, disabled, and neurodiverse ākonga.
• Organisations and educators are interested in knowing about: ways to build the capability of those delivering education and training (i.e. educators, advisors, employers); a pedagogy of equity; how to use an equity lens to know more about the conditions for learner success related to teaching and learning; assessment; support services; and data and technology.
• Ākonga want a range of factors that improve their learning experience and for their voices to be heard (Based on the Te Rito reports).
  
  

If you are interested in either applying to the AARIA Contestable Funding Round 2025 or sharing this opportunity with your network of Tertiary Education Organisations, and have questions, please contact Dr. Marvin Hao Wu (Programme Manager, Research and Innovation) and Dr. Parisa Saadat (Research Programme Coordinator) at research@ako.ac.nz. We would be delighted to hear from you and assist with any queries you may have.