Ako Aotearoa
Ako Aotearoa, New Zealand's National Centre for Tertiary Teaching Excellence (2007–2025), delivered professional learning, research co-funding, and digital educational resources to the tertiary sector. Funded by the Tertiary Education Commission and hosted by Massey University, it was disestablished on December 31, 2025.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersWellington, New Zealand
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Ako Aotearoa does
Ako Aotearoa was New Zealand's National Centre for Tertiary Teaching Excellence from 2007 to 2025, established and funded by the Tertiary Education Commission and hosted by Massey University in Wellington. The organization was a bicultural, Treaty of Waitangi-aligned body whose mandate was to build educational capability across New Zealand's tertiary sector, serving universities, institutes of technology and polytechnics (ITPs), wānanga, private training establishments (PTEs), industry training organisations (ITOs), and adult/community education providers. Its core functions spanned professional learning and development delivery (workshops, forums, networking events), co-funded research grants (over NZ$11.5 million deployed since 2007 across tertiary teaching research), teaching-excellence recognition through the Te Whatu Kairangi awards programme, and dedicated initiatives for Māori and Pacific learner success.
Ako Aotearoa firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Ako Aotearoa
- Legal name
- Ako Aotearoa
- Website
- https://ako.ac.nz
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Closed
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Ako Aotearoa, New Zealand's National Centre for Tertiary Teaching Excellence (2007–2025), delivered professional learning, research co-funding, and digital educational resources to the tertiary sector. Funded by the Tertiary Education Commission and hosted by Massey University, it was disestablished on December 31, 2025.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Ako Aotearoa industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Tertiary Education Services
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171), Educational Support Services (6117)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Instructional Delivery & Pedagogy (School-Led) (EDAJAFAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- K–12 Instructional Design & Curriculum Development Services (EDAGAKAA)
Keywords
Where Ako Aotearoa is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Wellington
- HQ country
- New Zealand
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices1 record
Markets served
Ako Aotearoa business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Government Funding: Funded by the Tertiary Education Commission from 2007-2025 as the National Centre for Tertiary Teaching Excellence. Funding ceased in May 2025, leading to disestablishment on December 31, 2025.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free access to resources |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Ako Aotearoa product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Ako Aotearoa delivered a portfolio of free, sector-wide tertiary education capability-building services for New Zealand: the Knowledge Centre resource repository, the Te Whatu Kairangi teaching excellence awards, Te Pātaka Mātauranga Māori cultural knowledge storehouse, Manako foundation learning resources, professional learning and development workshops and forums, Digital Badges, the Pathways Awarua / Tapatoru literacy and numeracy tools, the Dyslexia-Friendly Quality Mark, research and innovation co-funding, and dedicated Māori and Pacific learner success programmes.
Product overview
Ako Aotearoa was New Zealand's National Centre for Tertiary Teaching Excellence, offering a portfolio of interconnected programmes and services focused on building educational capability across the tertiary sector. The organization operated as a unified platform combining research funding (Research and Innovation Co-Funding), professional development (Professional Learning and Development, Digital Badges), cultural support programmes (Māori Learner Success, Pacific Learner Success, Te Pātaka Mātauranga Māori), and recognition of excellence (Te Whatu Kairangi Awards). Supporting infrastructure included the Knowledge Centre repository, Manako Foundation Learning resources, and the Pathways Awarua online tool hosting the Tapatoru professional development framework. All operations ceased on December 31, 2025 following government funding cessation.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Te Whatu Kairangi: The Aotearoa Tertiary Educator Awards - awards recognizing achievement across the tertiary teaching profession.
- Manako
- Te Pātaka Mātauranga Māori
Products and services
- Knowledge Centre (Pūtahi Mātauranga) Free online repository of high-quality, evidence-based teaching tips and research by and for the New Zealand tertiary sector, supporting educational capability building for tertiary educators.
- Te Whatu Kairangi | Tertiary Teaching Excellence Awards Annual awards programme (formerly Tertiary Teaching Excellence Awards) recognising achievement across the tertiary teaching profession in Aotearoa New Zealand.
- Te Pātaka Mātauranga Māori Storehouse of Māori Knowledge — a collection of resources and cultural knowledge supporting Māori learner success in tertiary education and bicultural capability across the sector.
- Manako Programme (Foundation Learning) Foundation Learning programme offering resources, briefing papers and professional development materials for educators supporting adult literacy, numeracy and foundational skills.
- Professional Learning and Development (PLD) High-quality, relevant, evidence-based professional learning and development delivered through in-house and public workshops, larger forums, and smaller networking events for tertiary educators, focused on raising professional standards across the sector.
- Digital Badges Digital credentialing system that allows educators to earn and display badges recognising professional achievements and competencies in tertiary teaching.
- Pathways Awarua Free online literacy and numeracy learning tool hosting the Tapatoru professional development framework and practice resources for adult learners and foundation educators.
- Tapatoru Professional Development Framework Professional development framework and practice tool resources for literacy and numeracy educators, delivered as content within the Pathways Awarua online platform.
- Dyslexia-Friendly Quality Mark Quality mark awarded to New Zealand organisations demonstrating dyslexia-friendly practices in educational environments.
- Research and Innovation Co-Funding Co-funding programme supporting research projects that explore and understand teaching excellence in different tertiary contexts, with more than NZ$11.5 million invested since 2007.
- Māori Learner Success Programme Initiative focused on improving participation, engagement and success of Māori in Aotearoa New Zealand's tertiary education sector.
- Pacific Learner Success Programme Programme dedicated to improving educational outcomes and success for Pacific learners in New Zealand's tertiary education sector.
Quantifiable outcome
- 5,000+ educators participated in professional learning and development since 2012
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Ako Aotearoa
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Ako Aotearoa technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Ako Aotearoa partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- Tertiary Education Commission (TEC)corePrimary funder from 2007-2025. TEC provided government funding to support Ako Aotearoa's role as the National Centre for Tertiary Teaching Excellence. Following the funding cessation decision in May 2025, TEC is working with Massey University to transition literacy and numeracy resources.
- Massey UniversitycoreHost organization for Ako Aotearoa. Hosting agreement in place from 2007-2025. Massey University will continue to maintain the Ako Aotearoa website until end of 2025, with some content to be transferred to TEC's website.
- UniversitiesmajorPartnered with universities across New Zealand to explore and understand teaching excellence in different contexts and to support research collaboration.
- WānangamajorTeaming up with wānanga as part of the diverse tertiary sector to share knowledge about tertiary teaching excellence.
- Institutes of Technology (ITPs)majorPartnership with ITPs for professional development and research collaboration in vocational education.
- Private Training Establishments (PTEs)majorCollaboration with PTEs across adult and community education and workplace training.
- Industry Training Organisations (ITOs)majorPartnership with ITOs for workplace learning support and industry training.
- Ministry of EducationmajorShared work with the Ministry of Education on policy and research related to tertiary teaching excellence.
- New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA)majorCollaboration on qualifications and quality assurance in tertiary education.
- New Zealand Council for Educational Research (NZCER)minorSharing work with this research organization on tertiary teaching excellence.
- Industry Training FederationminorCollaboration on industry training and workforce development matters.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Ako Aotearoa competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Ako Aotearoa social profiles
Digital presenceAko Aotearoa financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Ako Aotearoa leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Ako Aotearoa funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Ako Aotearoa M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Ako Aotearoa
What does Ako Aotearoa do?
Ako Aotearoa delivered a portfolio of free, sector-wide tertiary education capability-building services for New Zealand: the Knowledge Centre resource repository, the Te Whatu Kairangi teaching excellence awards, Te Pātaka Mātauranga Māori cultural knowledge storehouse, Manako foundation learning resources, professional learning and development workshops and forums, Digital Badges, the Pathways Awarua / Tapatoru literacy and numeracy tools, the Dyslexia-Friendly Quality Mark, research and innovation co-funding, and dedicated Māori and Pacific learner success programmes.
Is Ako Aotearoa a public or private company?
Ako Aotearoa is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently closed.
When was Ako Aotearoa founded?
Ako Aotearoa was founded in 2007. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Ako Aotearoa based?
Ako Aotearoa is headquartered in Wellington, New Zealand, in the Oceania region.
How does Ako Aotearoa make money?
One revenue line is on record: government Funding.
Does Ako Aotearoa have an API?
No public API is recorded for Ako Aotearoa.
What industry is Ako Aotearoa in?
Ako Aotearoa's product category is Tertiary Education Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAJAFAB, Instructional Delivery & Pedagogy (School-Led), with a secondary code of EDAGAKAA, K–12 Instructional Design & Curriculum Development Services. Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 8200.