Fourteen tertiary educators have been honoured in the inaugural tertiary teaching excellence awards announced this evening.

Associate Education (Tertiary Education) Minister Steve Maharey said the awards are the first to applaud New Zealand’s very best tertiary teachers and to share their teaching methods with tutors and lecturers across the country.

“The award winners recognised tonight are employed across the whole tertiary education system – from foundation educators to university professors. These prestigious new awards will enable the winners to further develop their careers. Award winners will receive $20,000, while the winner of the Prime Minister’s Supreme Award receives $30,000, to be spent on career development and the sharing of best practice.

“Tertiary teachers are at the crucial interface of New Zealand’s development as a knowledge society. Behind our best scientists and tradespeople, our best teachers, designers and social workers are tertiary teachers who have inspired people to reach their full potential.

“The government has established the Tertiary Teaching Excellence Awards to acknowledge cutting-edge teaching at a nation-wide level in the same way that ground-breaking tertiary research has been for some time. They continue our work to place the tertiary sector at the forefront of our development as a knowledge society.

“The tertiary teachers honoured this evening are all committed to fostering achievement by their students.

“We hope that these annual awards will also foster greater levels of excellence on the part of tertiary teachers across the whole system. A key feature of these awards is the publication of a booklet detailing the teaching approaches, experiences and methodologies of tonight’s recipients. This publication will be available in September.

“The nominations received for the inaugural awards were outstanding and many were worthy of recognition proving that excellence is alive and well in our tertiary institutions.

“I am looking forward to the awards becoming an annual and prestigious addition to the tertiary education calendar and I offer sincere congratulations to the recipients of the inaugural awards,” Steve Maharey said.

Eleven awards are being made this year to fourteen individuals across three categories recognising exemplary tertiary teaching in foundation skills, sustained teaching excellence and innovative tertiary teaching. In addition one award winner is receiving the Prime Minister’s Supreme Award. Tertiary Teaching Excellence Award winners were selected by a specially established committee chaired by Professor Graeme Fraser, Acting Deputy-Chancellor of Massey University.