Association of Staff in Tertiary Education

The Association of Staff in Tertiary Education (ASTE) was a national trade union in New Zealand. In 2009 it merged with Association of University Staff (AUS) to become the New Zealand Tertiary Education Union Te Hautu Kahurangi o Aotearoa. ASTE was formed in 1988 by the merger of the Teacher Colleges Association (TCA), and the NZ Association of Polytechnic Teachers (NZAPT). The majority of members were from polytechnics. However, it retained coverage of the academic staff at the Auckland University of Technology (AUT) and had members at the Victoria, Massey, Waikato and Auckland universities who were employed at the former Wellington Polytechnic and former colleges of education before these institutions were merged with the universities. Most of the other staff at the seven established universities belonged to the Association of University Staff, although some belonged to the Public Service Association (PSA) and the Service and Food Workers Union.

ASTE & Association of University Staff (AUS) elected to amalgamate to become New Zealand Tertiary Education Union (NZTEU) effective 1 January 2009

The ASTE was a member of the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions.