SDG 4 Quality Education :: University of Waikato

World-leading teacher education programme

Free papers for staff to support lifelong learning

Comprehensive array of flexible study programmes

Some things we are especially proud of

Programmes & Libraries

Our world-leading teacher education programme and myriad research groups focused on improving education outcomes.

Generous visiting and borrowing provisions for the public at our libraries including free ongoing access to all alumni.

Extensive array of workshops, school visits and education programmes in STEM subjects offered through the School of Science and School of Engineering.

Opportunities for Success

Free tuition for staff so they can embrace lifelong learning.

Year-round professorial public lectures and other events offered free to the general public.

Dedicated centre called Te Puna Ako to support both staff with their teaching and students with study skills.

Our data-driven learner success programme called Ōritetanga which helps pinpoint achievement gaps using machine learning.

Pathways & Outreach

Multiple pathways to help future students meet entry criteria and close monitoring and support to maximise student success.

Commitment to the development of Māori teachers, including scholarships, mentorship and targeted support to schools to help develop those already in the workforce.

Our engagement with schools and commmunities through our Science Outreach and Experience Engineering programmes.

Transforming education for Māori students

We are enormously proud of the work led by Professor Mere Berryman and her colleagues at Poutama Pounamu for their work which has spanned more than two decades, helping to indigenise the culture of schools and other education centres around New Zealand and decolonise the structures of these same settings. Poutama Pounamu offers both in-school facilitation, in-school blended learning and an ongoing Master's programme. They are helping create more equitable opportunities for Māori children so they can develop their potential and take their rightful place in society.

Our world-leading teacher education programme

Te Kura Toi Tangata | School of Education is committed to enhancing education through the three interconnected disciplines of teaching, research and professional learning. They offer a range of undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications with flexible delivery options. Students can also opt to study education through a social science lens, examining the role education plays in our lives and how social and cultural settings shape our development. Te Whai Toi Tangata Institute of Professional Learning provides high-quality professional learning opportunities across the education sector in New Zealand, offering a host of workshops for teachers in areas ranging from enhancing student agency to improving engagement with families and gifted education.

Supporting an initiative for global education equity

The Science Learning Hub – Pokapū Akoranga Pūtaiao have jumped on board the global science classroom initiative LabXchange.

Created at Harvard University with support from the Amgen Foundation, LabXchange is a powerful digital tool making high-quality science education more accessible.

LabXchange is formatted so those in developing countries or in areas with poor internet access can access content and plan meaningful lesson plans and pathways for learners.

The Science Learning Hub is a STEMM education portal that collaborates with scientists, experts, and educators to create free quality resources for educators and their learners. The project is funded by the New Zealand government and operates out of the Wilf Malcolm Institute of Educational Research at the University of Waikato.

Nurturing sustainability champions in business

The Waikato Management School was the first business school in New Zealand to embed sustainability within its education programmes and the first Australasian business school to be accepted into the Academy of Business in Society (ABIS).

Lecturer’s dedication to online learning recognised

was recognised as one of the country’s leading tertiary teachers in 2021 when he was selected as one of nine recipients of an Ako Aotearoa National Tertiary Teaching Excellence Award. This followed hot on the heels of an award in 2020 for excellence in e-Learning as well as the University’s Vice-Chancellor’s Medal for Staff Excellence. Dr Munn is a senior lecturer within the School of Social Sciences and has a passion for environmental ethics and political philosophy. His students say his classes are refreshingly different, noting he strives to make them inclusive, interactive and communal, fostering a sense of community which became especially important as the University moved to online learning.

He has a special knack for capturing the fascination of his learners through a variety of multimedia tools and supporting them to meet their own personal learning objectives. Dr Munn is held in high regard by his colleagues for his teaching skills, particularly his focus on learners with diverse needs and his commitment to continuously raising the bar and trying new things.