Top tertiary teachers announced

Fourteen educators were honoured in the inaugural tertiary teaching excellence awards ceremony held last month.

The awards were administered by NZQA.

Eleven awards were made to fourteen individuals across three categories recognising exemplary teaching in foundation skills, sustained tertiary teaching excellence and innovative tertiary teaching. In addition one award winner received the Prime Minister's Supreme Award.

The winners were employed across the whole tertiary education system - from foundation educators to university professors. Winners received $20,000. The winner of the Prime Minister's Supreme Award was Welby Ings, Principal Lecturer at the School of Art and Design, Auckland University of Technology. Mr Ings received $30,000, to be spent on career development and the sharing of best practice.

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

In a speech during the awards Mr Maharey said tertiary teachers were at the crucial interface of New Zealand's development as a knowledge society, but had not, until now, had recognition for their work.

"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."

"It's another one of those late nights.

"I've been sitting here working on some feedback, putting off writing this because I'm not sure how to approach it. You see for me teaching is not a professional commitment, it is a life. It is something I embrace with absolute passion and the expression of it doesn't fit easily into categories for analysis.

"I take risks because I believe that learning is a passionate act. In the beige world of curriculum implementation it is too easy to become afraid of failing and for me that single fear gives birth to mediocrity. In my past I know that I have failed sometimes, but I am not ashamed of that because I know that I have learned from it. It has caused me to listen carefully to the young men and women with whom I work and to develop learning and teaching strategies that enable us to reach well beyond preconceived horizons."

Tracey Poutama-Mackie receives her award from Associate Minister for Education, Marian Hobbs		Dr Tony Wright receives his award from Associate Minister of Education (Tertiary) Steve Maharey
Jill Smith receives her award		Oriel Kelly receives her award
Nick Ashill receives his award

Tertiary Teaching Excellence Awards Ceremony
Monday 24 June 2002
Grand Hall, Parliament Buildings

AWARDEES

PRIME MINISTER'S SUPREME AWARD

Welby Ings
Principal Lecturer
School of Art and Design
Auckland University of Technology

EXCELLENCE AWARD - SUSTAINED EXCELLENCE

Nick Ashill
Senior Lecturer
School of Marketing and International Business
Victoria University of Wellington

Dr Tim Bell
Senior Lecturer and Head of Department
Department of Computer Science
University of Canterbury

Dr Delwyn Clark
Associate Professor
Department of Strategic Management and Leadership
University of Waikato

Liz Fitchett
Food Safety Co-ordinator/Lecturer
Waiariki Institute of Technology

Welby Ings
Principal Lecturer
School of Art and Design
Auckland University of Technology

Jill Smith
Principal Lecturer
Auckland College of Education

Tim Wilkinson
Associate Professor
Department of Medicine
Otago University

Dr Tony Wright
Senior Lecturer
Institute of Fundamental Sciences
Massey University

EXCELLENCE AWARD - EXCELLENCE IN INNOVATION

Nola Campbell, Merilyn Taylor, Bill Ussher and Russell Yates
School of Education
University of Waikato

Oriel Kelly
Project Leader
Learning Technology
Manukau Institute of Technology

TEACHING AWARD IN FOUNDATION SKILLS

Tracey Poutama-Mackie
Contract Manager/Tutor
People Potential Limited