Welcome and greetings to you all

We’re excited to warmly invite you to the 30th ICDE World Conference being held in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand from 10 to 13 November 2025 (in the early New Zealand summer).

The theme for the conference is Ako: Exchanging ideas for inclusive, scalable, and sustainable education. Our conference takes the Māori concept of ‘ako’ (or reciprocity in learning and teaching, the exchange of ideas) as our touchstone. The design of inclusive, scalable, and sustainable education is central to the futures of global higher education, a priority for practice around the globe. The conference emphasises the 'ako' of reciprocal teaching and learning as it relates to improving educational inclusivity, scalability, and sustainability across all delegates.

The open education movement is global in scope, and so we look forward to welcoming a rich international delegation to Aotearoa New Zealand to discuss ideas, practices and strategies with the world's leading thinkers, practitioners, and decision-makers. Our event co-hosts, Te Kuratini Tuwhera | Open Polytechnic and Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa | Massey University represent a rich complement of open and distance education practice across vocational and academic higher education.

Perched on the water’s edge at the southern end of the North Island and nestled between green hills and a sparkling harbour, Wellington is a little city with a big heart. Surrounded by nature and fuelled by creative energy, Wellington is a compact city with a powerful mix of culture, history, nature and cuisine. With a vibrant arts scene, fabulous café and restaurant culture nestled round the stunning waterfront, it must be one of the easiest cities in the world to get around on foot. So, welcome to Aotearoa New Zealand and to Wellington city; a creative, cosmopolitan place, located in one of the world’s most exciting and beautiful destinations. And, of course, Wellington is centrally located in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Come and join us in November 2025 - attend a world-leading conference featuring stimulating discussion, enjoy a beautiful city, and extend your stay to explore our enticing country.

Hei konā mai, Goodbye for now.

Dr Mark Nichols, Te Kuratini Tuwhera | Open Polytechnic (and President, ICDE)

Professor Giselle Byrnes, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa | Massey University.