New Zealand
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HERDSA New Zealand has members from more than 15 tertiary institutions around the country. Our aim is to promote, assist and advance tertiary education in New Zealand. Our particular focus is building a community of tertiary educators and facilitating the improvement of teaching, research and policy. We will represent the interests of members, provide opportunities for networking and professional development, recognise and reward outstanding contributions to tertiary education in New Zealand, and encourage cooperation with other organisations and agencies who have similar interests in tertiary education. We run an annual conference (Tertiary Education Research NZ) when we are not hosting the Australasian HERDSA Conference, as well as regular workshops and seminars. We offer the TERNZ medal to recognise and reward outstanding contributions to tertiary educational research in New Zealand.

Branch Chair

Branch Committee Members

  • Alison Jolley (AJ) (Treasurer) Te Puna Ako - Centre for Tertiary Teaching and Learning, University of Waikato
  • Erik Brogt  E3 Consulting
  • Eva Heinrich School of Fundamental Sciences, Massey University
  • Kathryn Sutherland  Centre for Academic Development, Victoria University of Wellington
  • Sheena Townsend Department of Zoology, University of Otago
  • Angela Tsai  Office of Learning, Teaching and Educational Design, Auckland University of Technology

Branch web page
http://www.herdsa.org.nz/

HERDSA NZ Branch update August 2025

The NZ branch has had two meetings this year, one in June and one in August. 2024 and 2025 has been an unsettled time for many HERDSA members who are based in NZ. Associate Professor Erik Brogt our chair for the previous two years has moved into private sector consultancy and has stepped down as chair. Susan Geertshuis has taken over as acting chair. The committee has also lost valued committee members but also attracted new faces ensuring a good representation from across NZ’s universities.

Ngā hau e whā o Tāwhirimatea - Embedding mātauranga Māori in tertiary education    

In 2022, Matiu led a team of educational researchers, tertiary teachers, and teacher educators to produce a free online guide for tertiary teachers entitled 

HERDSA Conference Revisited: Presentations from NZ-based participants

PRESENTER: Dr Rachel Spronken-Smith

Do you want to hear about the latest higher education research and teaching innovations from Aotearoa New Zealand? Join us for HERDSA NZ revisited on September 14, 1-2pm NZT (11am-1pm AEST)

Blended writing

We’re all familiar with the term “blended learning,” a style of education whereby students learn via electronic and online media as well as traditional face-to-face teaching.  This webinar will explore the concept of “blended writing,” a mode of writing whereby writers think, work and communicate using both digital and analog tools, bringing the material affordances of pens, paper and notebooks into the virtual realm of websites, learning management systems and Zoom.  What are the potential cognitive and creative benefits of blended writing for our students, our colleagues and ourselves, pa

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