The HERDSA New Zealand Branch has enjoyed an active year, with a particular focus on connecting colleagues across Aotearoa New Zealand, supporting the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL), and creating opportunities to share research and practice.

In May, we hosted SoTL for Career-Building, an online kōrero for education-focused academics. The event attracted participants from across the tertiary sector and generated valuable discussion about developing teaching-focused academic careers and using SoTL to support career progression.

We followed this with an August online workshop offering practical advice on preparing conference abstracts and, in September, a HERDSA Revisited online event. This brought together presenters from four New Zealand universities to share research and stimulate discussion about assessment, artificial intelligence and contemporary teaching challenges.

Behind the scenes Angela Tsai and Donella Halbert, two invaluable committee members, have been working on the administration, risk management, legal and financial side of our activities.  

Much of our energy is now directed towards TERNZ 2026, taking place at the University of Auckland from 25–27 November. The conference offers an opportunity for tertiary educators, researchers and practitioners to exchange ideas, build connections and celebrate educational research in Aotearoa. The programme includes interactive sessions and pre-conference workshops addressing important issues such as assessment in the age of AI, critical thinking and publishing educational research. We warmly encourage HERDSA colleagues to join us. Further information is available at www.herdsa.org.nz.

We are also delighted that Wellington has been selected to host the HERDSA international conference in 2028, providing another opportunity to strengthen connections across our community.

Our thanks go to committee members, presenters and colleagues who have generously contributed their time and expertise. We look forward to continuing these conversations and welcoming Kiwis and overseas colleagues to TERNZ in November.

Prof Susan Geertshuis

October 2026