27/02/2026
Introducing... the New Zealand Education Excellence Awards | Ngā Tohu Kairangi Mātauranga o Aotearoa! Designed to celebrate and recognise outstanding performance, your nomination could see your school or kura celebrated at these national awards.
The nomination categories are:
🌟 Excellence in Raising Student Achievement
🌟 Excellence in Student Engagement & Attendance
🌟 Excellence in Quality Teaching & Instruction
🌟 Excellence in Educational Leadership
Four awards will be presented in each category for different school types.
These school types are:
✔️ primary schools with roll numbers of 1–150 students (U1–U3)
✔️ primary schools with roll numbers 151+ students (U4+)
✔️ kaupapa Māori
✔️ secondary schools
Winning schools and kura will receive $20,000, and finalists will also be formally recognised at a national awards ceremony to be held in Wellington on Wednesday, 24 June.
Anyone can nominate a school or kura to apply for an award, including students, whānau, staff and members of the wider community.
The nomination and application period opens on Monday, 16 March. Nominations will be open for four weeks, closing on Friday, 10 April. Applications will remain open for a further three weeks, closing on Friday, 1 May 2026.
Winners will be decided by an independent panel of education experts, who will be announced at a later date.
For more details, including on how to nominate, Awards eligibility and assessment criteria, head to our website: https://bit.ly/4kT5xGB
24/02/2026
24/02/2026
22/02/2026