Our Submissions

As part of our commitment to good practice in tertiary education, Ako Aotearoa participates in consultation processes and develops submissions on relevant documents.

Our participation and submissions do not reflect the point of view or interests of a particular sector or organisation. Rather, they are based on how a given set of proposals will affect our tertiary system’s ability to achieve the best possible educational outcomes for learners.

This page collects our public submissions and makes them available for download.

August 2022: Proposed changes to the Adult Literacy Educator (ALE) Fund

Ako Aotearoa's feedback to the Ministry of Education on proposed changes to the Adult Literacy Educator (ALE) fund.

Submission | Adult Literacy Educator (ALE) Fund

April 2022: Te Kōmihana Whai Hua o Aotearoa - New Zealand Productivity Commission inquiry

This paper informs the Productivity Commission’s inquiry, 'A fair chance for all: Breaking the disadvantage cycle', with a particular focus on breaking the disadvantage cycle for adults with language, literacy and/or numeracy (LLN) needs. We describe how low LLN skills can lead to people being trapped in persistent disadvantage, and discuss how effective national policy settings can help break the cycle of disadvantage and remove barriers to social and economic wellbeing.

The purpose of this 2022 paper was to inform the Productivity Commission’s inquiry, with a particular focus on breaking the disadvantage cycle for adults with language, literacy and/or numeracy (LLN) needs.

" href="/assets/Submissions/220425-Productivity-Commission_written-submission_AvL.docx.pdf">Submission | Productivity Commission: Addressing the literacy crisis in Aotearoa New Zealand

February 2022: White Paper to the Minister of Education, Hon Chris Hipkins

This White Paper alerts the Minister of Education to urgent actions needed for building sector capability in foundation educationThe paper describes the challenges faced by learners, educators and organisations in the foundation education sector. We express our concern about the sector’s growing capability-building needs and propose five urgent actions.

Submission | White paper: Policy settings for supporting foundation learning

November 2021: Feedback on the proposed Te Pūkenga Operating Model

Ako Aotearoa’s submission to the proposed operating model for Te Pūkenga, focusing on the practical aspects of being Tiriti-led, providing quality teaching and learning educators and environments, and supporting Māori, Pacific, and neurodiverse learners. 

Submission | Proposed Te Pūkenga Operating Model

May 2021: Te Oranga me te Haumaru Ākonga | Draft Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Students) Code of Practice 2021

Ako Aotearoa welcomes the opportunity for greater empowerment of learners in the provision associated with their learning journey and, overall, we are pleased to see the development of a new Code of Practice intended to bring a more holistic approach to supporting all learners. As part of our feedback, Helen Lomax (Ako Aotearoa’s Tumuaki/Director) and staff met with representatives from NZQA and MoE to discuss and provide feedback on the new Code. This meeting was followed up with Ako Aotearoa’s formal submission.

Submission | Draft Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Students) Code of Practice 2021.

September 2020: Six Workforce Development Councils Order in Council Proposals

Our feedback on the Workforce Development Councils Draft Orders in Council (OiCs).

Submission | Six Workforce Development Councils Order in Council Proposals (514kb PDF)

July 2020: NZIST Mobilising New Worlds Working Group Reports

Seven working groups consisting of 76 people from across the vocational education sector were established by the IST Establishment Board to consider the future of the provision of vocational education once NZIST came into existence. The reports on their seven recommendations can be found on the NZIST website

Submission | NZIST Mobilising New Worlds Working Group Reports (472kb PDF)

November 2019: National Education Learning Priorities and Tertiary Education Strategy

Our response to the new Tertiary Education Strategy 2020-2025.

Submission | National Education Learning Priorities and Tertiary Education Strategy (304kb PDF)

March 2019: Reform of vocational education

Our response to the proposal to reform vocational education and training, focuses strongly on the issues related to learners and teaching and learning - during transition and in the overall proposed new system and its implementation.   

Submission | Reform of vocational education (362kb PDF)

February 2017: Review of the Committee on University Academic Programmes (CUAP)

The Committee on University Academic Programmes (CUAP) has been undergoing an independent audit in early 2017. As a key stakeholder, Ako Aotearoa was invited to provide a submission for consideration by the review panel.

Submission | Review of the Committee on University Academy Programmes (479kb PDF)

November 2016: New Models of Tertiary Education Draft Report

The Productivity Commission’s draft report from its Inquiry into New Models of Tertiary Education was released on October 6, 2016. The draft report and background material is available from the Productivity Commission website.

Submission | New Models of Tertiary Education Draft Report (579kb PDF)

May 2016: New Models of Tertiary Education Issues Paper

The Productivity Commission Inquiry on the New Models of Tertiary Education issues paper outlines some questions the inquiry will consider over the next 12 months, describes the tertiary education system and trends influencing it, and seeks submissions to help the Commission develop its advice and recommendations. The issues paper is available from the Productivity Commission website

Submission | New Models of Tertiary Education Issues Paper (720kb PDF)

March 2016: Developing An Outcomes Framework for New Zealand’s Vocational Education and Training System

The VET Outcomes Framework discussion document was released in February 2016, and proposed a framework for understanding the performance of the VET sector in terms of agreed outcomes (rather than outputs). The discussion document was developed by the VET Working Group, a collective of ITP and ITO sector representatives, and is available on the Industry Training Federation website.

Submission | Developing an outcomes framework for NZ's VETraining system (556kb PDF)

April 2015: Expanding The Record of Achievement Discussion Paper

Expanding The Record of Achievement discussion paper was released in March 2015, and sought feedback on the benefits and challenges involved in developing a ‘universal’ record of learner achievement. The discussion paper was developed by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority.

Submission | Expanding the Record of Achievement Discussion Paper (93kb PDF)

March 2015: Draft Code of Good Practice for New Zealand Apprenticeships

The draft Code of Good Practice for New Zealand Apprenticeships was released in February 2015, and proposed a set of expectations and obligations of the three partners in apprenticeship arrangements (learners, employers, and ITOs). The draft code was developed by the Tertiary Education Commission, and the final code and a summary of submissions are available on the TEC website.

Submission | Draft Code of Good Practice for NZ Apprenticeships (370kb PDF)

July 2014: Information for Learners: Publishing information to inform enrolment decisions

The Information for Learners discussion document was released in June 2014, and proposed a standardised information set for tertiary education programmes intended to support learner decisions. The discussion document was developed by the Tertiary Education Commission.

Submission | Information for Learners discussion document (368kb PDF)

November 2013: Draft Tertiary Education Strategy 2014-2019

Ako Aotearoa was asked to provide feedback on the draft Tertiary Education Strategy (TES) 2014-19, released on 2 October 2013 by Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister, Hon Steven Joyce. The TES sets the Government’s strategic direction, expectations and priorities over the next five years. We were delighted to have the opportunity to contribute to the strategy and highlight our key areas of concern in the attached document.

Submission | Draft Tertiary Education Strategy 2014-2019 (466kb PDF)

September 2012: Industry Training Review: Proposal to improve the performance of the Government’s investment in industry training

The Industry Training Review consultation document was released in August 2012, and presented a set of proposed changes to the operation of New Zealand’s Industry Training system. The proposal documentation was developed by the Ministry of Education.

Submission | Industry Training Review Proposal (195kb PDF)

July 2012: Draft Literacy and Numeracy Implementation Strategy

The Draft Literacy and Numeracy Implementation Strategy was released in June 2012, and presented for consultation the TEC’s intended future direction and workstreams for addressing literacy, language and numeracy need. The proposal documentation was developed by the Tertiary Education Commission.

Submission | Adult Literacy and Numeracy Implementation Strategy (94kb PDF)

May 2012: Directions for Education Renewal in Greater Christchurch

The Directions for Education Renewal in Greater Christchurch consultation document was released in May 2012, and presented a set of principles and proposals to guide the recovery of the Christchurch region’s education network. Ako Aotearoa’s submission focused primarily on proposals relating to tertiary education. The proposal documentation was developed by the Ministry of Education.

Submission | Education Renewal in greater Christchurch (94kb PDF)

June 2010: Targeted Review of the Qualifications System: Progressing the changes

The Targeted Review of the Qualifications System: Progressing the changes consultation document was released in June 2010, and presented a set of proposed changes to processes for designing, approving, and listing qualifications on the New Zealand Qualifications Framework. The proposal documentation was developed by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority.

Submission | Targeted review of the qualifications system (82kb PDF)