Tertiary Teaching Excellence Awards
Established by the Government in 2001, the awards aim to recognise and encourage excellence in tertiary teaching while also providing an opportunity for teachers to further their careers and share their good practice with others. Furthermore, a key focus of the awards is to identify and reward teaching practices that are student-focused and committed to promoting effective learning.
The Tertiary Teaching Excellence Awards, which are funded by the Tertiary Education Commission, are now managed and administered by Ako Aotearoa.
Click here for 2009 Awardees
The Awards in 2010
All Tertiary Education Organisations (TEOs) are eligible to nominate teaching staff for the awards. This includes: universities; polytechnics; colleges of education; wānanga; private training establishments; and industry training organisations.
It is the aim of the awards to be as inclusive as possible. In order to meet this aspiration, from 2010 a new category of award has been added to recognise the contribution of tertiary teachers in a kaupapa Māori context. There are separate criteria for this second category of awards. The total number of awards has been expanded to up to twelve with a minimum of two (2) awards being reserved in this new category.
All awardees are eligible for the Supreme Award, the Prime Minister's Award of $30,000. Other awardees will receive $20,000.
All nominations are judged on the basis of the portfolio that is submitted with the nomination form. The awards are based on the premise that excellent teachers have commitment to their subject, knowledge, enthusiasm and the ability to stimulate students' thought and interest.
Nominees' portfolios will show that they are organised and well prepared, and above all, student-focused and committed to advancing understanding of the subject they teach, and to life long learning.
The selection process is undertaken by a Tertiary Teaching Awards Committee, appointed by the Minister for Tertiary Education. This process is supported by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority.
Past Awards
The Teaching Profiles for all the awardees are available in the Academy of Tertiary Teaching Excellence community on this website.