Ako Aotearoa was established in 2007 as New Zealand’s national agency supporting excellence in tertiary teaching and learning. Hosted by Massey University, it operated for 18 years with a mandate to lift teaching quality and learner outcomes across the tertiary education system.
From its establishment, Ako Aotearoa focused on building teaching capability across universities, polytechnics, wānanga, private training establishments, the Adult and Community Education sector and industry training organisations. It designed and delivered professional development for educators, with a practical emphasis on effective pedagogy, learner engagement, assessment practice and inclusive teaching approaches. Alongside this, it funded and supported applied teaching-and-learning research, enabling providers to address sector-wide challenges and adopt proven practice through shared research outputs.
Over time, Ako Aotearoa developed a substantial body of resources and frameworks, including toolkits, guides and online materials supporting evidence-based, learner-centred and culturally responsive teaching. A significant part of its work involved strengthening outcomes for Māori and Pacific learners, embedding Te Tiriti based and kaupapa Māori approaches, and supporting initiatives tailored to priority learner groups. Programmes such as Manako, Ako Aotearoa’s internationally recognised language, literacy, numeracy (LLN) and cultural capability programme for educators who work with adult learners, reflected this focus.
Ako Aotearoa also played a national leadership and convening role. It acted as a sector connector, creating networks that enabled institutions to share practice, scale innovation and reduce duplication.
From 2007 – 2025 Ako Aotearoa proudly managed Te Whatu Kairangi. Aotearoa Tertiary Educator Awards (previously known as the Tertiary Teaching Excellence Awards). These national tertiary teaching awards celebrated outstanding tertiary educators who made a difference to learners, their whānau and communities.
In 2025, the Government made the decision to remove Ako funding.
Jill Tanner-Lloyd, National Communications and Marketing Manager at Ako Aotearoa, joined the organisation in 2008— when it had been operating for just 12 months. She expressed her disappointment about the impact this decision had on both learners and educators. Jill said that throughout its history, Ako Aotearoa maintained a clear purpose: supporting successful learners through strong teaching practice and advocating consistently for quality learning and teaching. Jill says this commitment was reflected in the way Ako Aotearoa approached the learner experience, with staff emphasising the partnership between educator and learner rather than viewing students solely through funding measures.
Jill also highlights the value of Ako Aotearoa’s sector relationships, including its long-standing partnership with ACE Aotearoa. She notes that ACE has played an important role across communities and learner groups that a national agency could not always reach in the same way, and that Ako Aotearoa relied on strong partnerships to remain connected to the practical needs of tutors, trainers and practitioners.
One area of delivery Jill identifies as a highlight is Ako Aotearoa’s cultural capability work, including programmes transferred from the National Centre for Literacy and Numeracy. This enabled Ako Aotearoa to support culturally responsive teaching and inclusive approaches at scale across the sector. Jill also highlighted the development of the Dyslexia-Friendly Quality Mark as a major contribution, noting that the closure of Ako Aotearoa means sector knowledge and specialist capability built over time may be harder to maintain.
A strong example of the relationship between Ako Aotearoa and ACE Aotearoa is the contribution of Jennifer Leahy, who has been a key collaborator between the two organisations for more than a decade. Her connection began when she was contracted by Ako Aotearoa to deliver a workshop on Collecting Evidence of Learner Benefit. That workshop became the starting point for ongoing collaboration between ACE and Ako Aotearoa, with Jennifer continuing to contribute to professional development delivery. Following the COVID period, Jennifer returned to ACE Aotearoa in a contracted role and has worked four days a week with Ako Aotearoa and one day a week as Teaching Standards Advisor with ACE Aotearoa.
Jennifer said that the closure of Ako Aotearoa represents a significant loss for practitioners, particularly due to the reduction in professional development opportunities across both online and face-to-face formats. She highlighted the value of the national forums, events, and sector convening work that Ako Aotearoa supported, as well as its contribution through research funding. This included support for ACE Aotearoa’s Circles of Teaching and Learning research project, which created opportunities for collaboration and ensured the ACE sector remained connected into wider teaching and learning discussions.
In a joint update released by the Tertiary Education Commission & Massey University they acknowledged the significant contribution Ako Aotearoa made to advancing teaching and learning.
Massey University confirmed it would continue hosting the Ako Aotearoa website to ensure ongoing access to its widely used learning resources, research and reports. Website hosting has been secured until the end of 2026, with work underway by Massey to explore longer-term options that preserve the integrity and accessibility of these materials.
Ako Aotearoa formally wound down operations at the end of 2025. Staff roles were disestablished as of 31 December, with most staff concluding mid-December in line with the university’s holiday period. Director, Corrina Gestro-Best is working with a small team through to March 2026 to support the orderly transition of resources.
At the conclusion of its operations, Ako Aotearoa’s impact was reflected in more than $11.5 million invested in funded projects, over 1,500 resource outputs shared, more than 5,000 educators supported through professional development, over 320 nationally recognised teaching award recipients, twelve regional forums held in the last three years, and close to 1,500 participants at professional learning and development events in 2025.
CEO of ACE Aotearoa, Hannah Pia Baral, said that during its 18 years of operation, Ako Aotearoa worked in partnership with educators, institutions and sector organisations to strengthen teaching practice and learner success. She is pleased that access to resources and reports will remain available to the sector in 2026. “We will miss our colleagues within Ako and the collaborative relationship that resulted in great outcomes for adult community education”.