Kia ora koutou

It's that time of year when we celebrate our people. It’s fair to say this has been a year like no other, but one constant here at Unitec is that our people continue to do excellent work. The Unitec Excellence Awards are our chance to recognise and celebrate our people and I encourage you to take a moment to consider who’s really stood out this year, and nominate them for an award.

New categories recognising excellence across all of Unitec
This year we’re launching a new name for the awards and new categories to ensure we capture the great work happening all over the institute. The categories include awards recognising excellence in support, teaching and research. Two of the teaching categories align with the national Ako Tertiary Teaching Excellence Awards. The winners of these categories (Excellence in Teaching and Kaupapa Māori) will be supported to develop their entry to these national awards. Take a look at the categories and criteria on the Nest, and get your nomination in for a colleague or team that has stood out this year.

Three weeks to nominate
Nominations close on Monday 12 November; that gives you three weeks to write your 300-word nomination. It’s an easy process and a fantastic way to highlight the excellent work of your colleagues across Unitec.

The awards event will be held on Thursday 6 December; we’ll keep you posted on the details.

Prizes
This year, our winners will receive beautiful locally handcrafted awards. Monetary prizes will not be available due to the current financial situation.

Questions?
If you have any questions about the awards, visit the Nest page, or contact the Communications team.

I’m looking forward to seeing the nominations rolling in.

Ngā mihi
Merran Davis
Interim Chief Executive