Congratulations to Dr Rosemary Cathcart

Congratulations to Dr Rosemary Cathcart: 2020 Te Manu Kōtuku Award Recipient

giftEDnz is delighted to announce that Dr Rosemary Cathcart has been awarded the Te Manu Kōtuku award by the Board in recognition of her outstanding service and contribution to the education and development of the gifted and talented children and young people of Aotearoa New Zealand. Te Manu Kōtuku is a prestigious award for an exceptional involvement in the gifted and talented education field of Aotearoa New Zealand.

Rosemary has been extensively involved in gifted education since the early 1980s and her work has reached all aspects of gifted education in New Zealand. She has been instrumental in developing programmes for children and young people, supporting parents, providing professional learning and development, writing books and articles, conducting research on moral development, and, perhaps most significantly, acting as one of our country’s foremost advocates for gifted children and young people.

This award is one of several recognising her work; she is an Honorary Life Member of the New Zealand Association for Gifted Children, was awarded a QSM for services to education, and is the first person outside the US to be an invited member of the Columbus Group, an affiliate of the Institute for the Study of Advanced Development. Dr Cathcart established the first one day a week specialist programmes for gifted children through the George Parkyn National Centre for Gifted Education. Through that work, she became increasingly cognisant and aware of the needs of teachers in their professional learning, and in 2005 she established REACH Education, a specialist education consultancy that offers the Certificate in Effective Practice for educators.

Dr Cathcart served as foundation board treasurer for giftEDnz, stepping down from that role in 2013 but remaining one of our organisation’s most committed and supportive members.

In Māori oratory, the most telling compliment is to liken someone to Kōtuku. It symbolizes everything rare and beautiful. The feathers of Kōtuku were highly prized by Maori and were used to adorn the heads of chiefs both in this life and after. We hope that this award clearly signifies Rosemary’s unique and valuable contribution to gifted and talented education in New Zealand and internationally.

The Te Manu Kōtuku Lecture will be delivered by Rosemary later this year. The lecture will challenge professionals who support gifted people of all ages. Rosemary, on accepting the award, told us that she will share some key messages as we look to the future for gifted education in Aotearoa New Zealand - We are in a time of change: what do we most need to do to build on this?

We are sure you will join us in congratulating Rosemary and thanking her for her untiring work to support gifted children, their families and the professionals who work with them.

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