Te Whatu Kairangi celebrates outstanding tertiary educators who are making a difference to learners, their whānau and communities.

The awards include:

• Kaupapa Māori Award presented to individuals or groups whose practice incorporates te reo Māori, tikanga Māori and mātauranga Māori.
• Le Moana Mua Award for Pacific educators, available to both individuals and groups.
• General Award with specified criteria applicable to both individuals and groups.
• Te Tohu Reo Māori award, presented to individuals, recognising the practice of kaiako who teach te reo Māori (new in 2024, read more below).

The awards offer $20,000 for a group award and $15,000 for an individual award. The Prime Minister’s Educator of the Year Award, with an additional $10,000 grant, will be awarded to the nominee whose portfolio best exemplifies the overall criteria.

Download the Te Whatu Kairangi flyer and share it with your networks.

NEW in 2024 | Te Tohu Reo Māori award

An important new addition is the Te Tohu Reo Māori award that recognises the practice of kaiako who teach te reo Māori. This award has a nomination process and criteria that are different from the other awards. These are described in Section 4 of the guidelines document.

More information about the Te Tohu Reo Māori Award, and how to nominate a kaiako.

Listen to Kaihautū Mātauranga Māori – Dr Joseph Te Rito talk to Radio Waatea about the new Te Tohu Reo Maori Award.  English Audio | Te Reo Māori Audio

Who can apply?

All Aotearoa tertiary organisations from right across the sector, may nominate for Te Whatu Kairangi. That is any organisation that receives Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) funding. This includes Te Pūkenga, Private Training Establishments, Adult & Community Education, Wānanga, Universities and more. 

Process for nominations

The webpage on entering the awards has more information about submitting a nomination including the full criteria guidelines and submission templates.

Benefits of nominations

The process of writing a nomination is valuable. It helps the nominee to think about their practice and to think carefully about what they do and how they do it. The nominee can assess the information they have and identify areas of their teaching that can be developed. The nominee’s practice can be further strengthened by gaining high-level feedback on the portfolio from colleagues and others.

Through these awards, tertiary educators can:

• Share their commitment to outstanding practice in building educational capability and sustained learner success.
• Showcase their innovative work and responsiveness to student needs.
• Reflect on and strengthen their teaching or training practice.
• Enhance their careers.
• Access monetary grants to advance their work, enhance their career, promote good practice and benefit learners.

Awards history

These national Awards were established in 2001 to celebrate and promote sustained excellence in tertiary teaching and have grown to be one of the most well-recognised and respected tertiary education awards programmes in Aotearoa New Zealand.

From 2007, Ako Aotearoa has managed the awards on behalf of the Ministry of Education. Since then, we have recognised and celebrated many innovative, passionate, outstanding tertiary educators from Industry Training Organisations, Private Training Establishments, Adult & Community Education, Wānanga, Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics, Universities and more.