NAU MAI, HAERE MAI
WELCOME TO THE WEBSITE FOR
THE ACE SECTOR IN AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND

Welcome to the website for ACE Aotearoa. ACE stands for Adult and Community Education and ACE Aotearoa is the national umbrella organisation for the ACE sector.

HOT OFF THE PRESS NEWS

First ACEnet online workshop Friday 29 January, 10.30am

On Friday 29 January, ACEnet offers the first online workshop, with Marian Richards, from Adult Learning Support. If you have received ACE Aotearoa’s summer newsletter (click here to download a PDF version), you may have read Marian and her team’s story ‘Blended Learning’ on pages 4 and 5. Marian will be available online from 10.30 – 11.30 am to talk about their experiences. As long as you have a reasonable internet connection, you will be able to hear her, see her, ask her questions by audio or by typing, and make comments by audio or by typing. If you have a web camera, we will be able to see you too. The workshop will be recorded and available online afterwards. You may find the flashmeeting tool we are using useful with your own learners, so come along and join in.

Spaces are limited, so please email terry@aceaotearoa.org.nz to be sure of a space. To join us on Friday 29 January, please go to the following address for full details and to access the event: http://flashmeeting.e2bn.net/fm/72f243-8398  Remember, the ACEnet team will be there to help you too.

Invitation to apply for ACE 2010 Professional Development Grants

All ACE regional networks, networks and groups are invited to submit applications for this contestable fund, by 1 March 2010. For 2010, ACE Aotearoa will run one round of applications.
Click here for more information and downloadable application form

Draft Tertiary Education Strategy 2010 – 2015

The submission from ACE Aotearoa and the ACE Strategic Alliance is now available. Click to download (PDF file 340 KB).

TEC announced ACE investment in schools for 2010

Schools that will receive allocations of funding for Adult and Community Education in 2010 have been confirmed by the TEC. Click here to view full story.

Anti-budget Cuts Petition Presented at Parliament

A petition containing more than 50,000 signatures calling on the government to reverse the cuts to night classes was presented at Parliament on Tuesday, 20 October. A large contingent of opposition MPs received the petition which was tabled in Parliament by Labour’s Tertiary Education spokesperson, Maryan Street.
 

Sandy Morrison Honoured

Waikato University senior lecturer Sandy Morrison is to be inducted into the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame next month at the Association for Continuing Higher Education (ACHE) conference in Philadelphia. Sandy, who works at the School of Māori and Pacific Development, is the first New Zealander to be inducted into the Hall since the organisation began in 1995. She has been working in the field of adult education at Waikato University for more than 20 years, and has also carried out development work with ASPBAE - Asia South Pacific Association for Adult and Basic Education - where she was an executive council member for the South Pacific region and president from 2004 to 2008.
This is a huge honour for Sandy and the ACE Sector.
 

Draft Tertiary Education Strategy released

The Government's draft Tertiary Education Strategy 2010-2015 has been released for consultation. The draft strategy sets out the direction the Government wants tertiary education to take in the next five years and the improvements in performance it is seeking. The Ministry of Education is seeking feedback from tertiary providers, students, employers and communities on how the tertiary education system can boost New Zealand's economic prosperity and build a strong society for the future. Submissions close on 6 November 2009. The draft strategy is available at:  www.minedu.govt.nz/TertiaryEducationStrategyConsultation
ACE Aotearoa and the Strategic Alliance will be preparing a submission. When complete, this will be posted on the ACE Aotearoa website.
 

TEC Media release re Schools ACE Funding for 2010

The TEC has announced that funding arrangements are being finalised with 50 schools across New Zealand for the provision of classes on topics such as ‘Maths for Household Budgeting’ and 'Helping Your Child to Read'. Courses in Sign Language and Te Reo will also be available. For the full media release and a list of regions and provisional places, see the website: www.tec.govt.nz
 

ACE Aotearoa PD Support for New Initiatives

As lead agency for the ACE sector, ACE Aotearoa will provide support for schools funded to meet the government’s new initiatives. ACE Aotearoa will set up systems to gather information on the impact of the changes so that generic learning needs can be met and will respond to specific professional development proposals put forward by individual schools.
While ACE Aotearoa is helping to implement the new initiatives, the organisation remains committed to the restoration of all school-based learning opportunities lost through funding cuts.
 

Quality Assurance Kits and PD Directories Available

You can download the documents from the TEC Quality Assurance Kit here, and there are also a limited number of kits available at the ACE Aotearoa office. If you would like a hard copy of the kit sent to you please email a request to: admin@aceaotearoa.org.nz.
 

Networks Hui

Regional Hui have been held around the country to encourage regional ACE Networks to develop their own regional plans for the future. These have been very well attended, particularly in the more rural sectors. The hui have been vibrant and forward-looking, and will inform the national sector-led ACE Network Strategy which is being compiled at the moment. A working group made up of representatives from each regional hui will be held at the end of the month to discuss the draft national strategy before it goes to ACE Aotearoa Executive for the next stages.

CONFINTEA VI Conference

Information about the draft international learners’ charter produced in Edinburgh in April is now available here, and those attending the CONFINTEA VI Conference in December in Belém, Brazil welcome input from the adult learning sector. Please send any comments to:
Fiona.Boucher@scotlandslearning.org.uk
 

Change of Address Details

We are currently updating our database. If any of your details have changed in 2009, or if you would like to be added to our contact list, please email us at:
admin@aceaotearaoa.org.nz