University of Auckland staff earn top teaching honours

Seven outstanding educators have been recognised for their dedication in the University of Auckland’s 2025 Vice-Chancellor’s Teaching Excellence Awards.

The awards recognise, encourage and reward excellence in teaching. They are contestable across the University, with each recipient receiving a Teaching Excellence medal and a $6,000 prize in recognition of their achievement.

This year’s recipients are:

Sustained Teaching and Learning:

• Andrew Patterson (Business and Economics)
• Hazim Namik (Engineering and Design)
• Tia Reihana (Arts and Education)

Early Career:

• Jean M Uasiki Allen (Arts and Education)
• Valerio Terragni (Engineering and Design)

Leadership:

• Fiona Moir (Medical and Health Sciences)

Outstanding Service to Teaching:

• Ashwini Datt (Curriculum development manager, Medical and Health Sciences)

Read more about the recipients

The awards play a crucial role in showcasing the calibre of teaching across the University, with three recipients traditionally selected as the University’s nominees for the Te Whatu Kairangi Aotearoa Tertiary Educator Awards.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Dawn Freshwater said the awards reflect the University’s commitment to supporting and celebrating outstanding teaching.

“These awards are a wonderful testament to the dedication, innovation and care our colleagues bring to their teaching every day. We are immensely proud of this year’s recipients and the powerful impact they have on their students, their disciplines and the University as a whole.”

Success on the national stage

The University is also celebrating the success of two of its teachers at the 2025 Te Whatu Kairangi Aotearoa Tertiary Educator Awards, New Zealand’s most prestigious recognition for tertiary teachers.

Nasser Giacaman (Engineering and Design) and Moeata Keil (Arts and Education) were honoured for their outstanding contributions to teaching and learning.

“This is an outstanding achievement, to have not one but two of our colleagues recognised nationally. Their portfolios show a record of distinguished educational practice, and I am immensely proud,” says Gayle Morris, the University’s Director of Teaching and Learning.

The national awards ceremony will be held on 5 November at the National Art Gallery in Wellington.