Te Arawai Ako

Professional development focused on enhancing teaching and learning practice and accrediting Fellows of the Higher Education Academy (AdvanceHE).

Te Arawai Ako—Pathway to Learning and Teaching Fellowship

This programme supports academic and professional staff to reflect on their teaching and/or support higher education learning within a community of like-minded colleagues. By meeting internationally recognised professional standards, participants receive acknowledgment for their dedication and expertise through the award of a prestigious HEA fellowship. Te Arawai Ako translates literally as “the learning and teaching waterway” and connects with our University’s Māori name, Te Herenga Waka, the mooring post for canoes. See our list of fellowship holders.

About HEA fellowships

Advance HE fellowship demonstrates a commitment to professionalism and provides recognition of practice, impact and leadership in teaching and learning. These fellowships are based on the Professional Standards Framework (PSF) and enjoy global recognition. There are four categories of fellowship, three of which are offered through Te Arawai Ako:

  • Associate Fellow (AFHEA): suitable for those with limited experience of teaching and/or support of learning practice, including, for example, senior tutors, PhD students, very new lecturers or teaching fellows
  • Fellow (FHEA): suitable for those with depth and breadth of teaching and/or supporting learning practice
  • Senior Fellow (SFHEA): for leaders or influencers of learning and teaching practice
  • Principal Fellow (PFHEA): for strategic leaders of learning and teaching (at an institutional, national or global level), available only through direct application to Advance HE.

Explore our two streams

Te Arawai Ako offers two tailored streams:

Staff stream

The staff stream caters to academic and professional staff members. For more information about the staff stream see Te Arawai Ako Programme Handbook and watch this short information video.

Student stream

This stream is designed for current students who have at least one year of experience in tutoring (or other kinds of university teaching) at VUW and who may aspire to an academic teaching career. For more information about the staff stream see Te Arawai Ako Programme Handbook and watch this short information video. Information is also on the tutor site.

Participants must be either a student and/or employed by the University when they complete an expression of interest for the programme and when they submit their fellowship application. If this is not the case you will need to make a direct application to Advance HE at your cost.

Benefits for participants

Engagement in Te Arawai Ako provides participants with:

  • opportunities for reflection on and development of your teaching and learning
  • international recognition of a commitment to standards and professionalism in teaching and learning in higher education
  • participation in a Continuing Professional Development peer-led community of practice
  • recognition of teaching capabilities with international portability, including the entitlement to use the post-nominal letters (AFHEA, FHEA, SFHEA, or PFHEA).
A large group of people stand in Council Chamber, holding their certificates.

2025 annual celebration

Fellows, Te Arawai Ako Board, senior leaders and Te Arawai Ako staff joined to celebrate 44 new fellows (eight in absentia).

Celebrating our newest fellows

Programme structure

Participants engage in online modules, writing sessions, peer review, an in-person workshop and mentoring that support them to craft their written fellowship submission. This submission comprises reflective narratives and evidence, mapped against the Professional Standards Framework (PSF), and accompanied by supporting statements that authenticate participants' teaching/learning support practice, which is then reviewed by Te Arawai Ako assessors.

Resources

Enrolled participants gain access to online modules in Nuku, including discussion forums, materials, application examples, templates, and guidelines.

Find out more and register

Begin your Te Arawai Ako participation (all streams)

  1. View the Staff Stream information video or Student Stream information video
  2. Submit an Expression of Interest
  3. Work through the online modules at your own pace and attend an in-person workshop offered for your stream, held once each trimester.

Workshop schedule

Find your next in-person workshop for your stream in the calendar below, held twice a year, approximately in April and August.

Click on the event to register.

If you cannot attend on the date it is offered please get in contact at cad-contact@vuw.ac.nz.

Contact

For further queries email: cad-contact@vuw.ac.nz.