Sunday - GAW2026

We have chosen 17 people to honour for Gifted Awareness week this year.

George Parkyn, Don McAlpine. Jill Bevan-Brown, Pearl Naulder, Deb Walker, Dave Freeman, Robyn Boswell, Roger Moltzen, Rosemary Cathcart, Elaine Le Sueur, Tracey Riley, Angus Macfarlane, Kate Niederer, Lynn Berresford, Sue Breen, Melinda Webber, and Sonia White.

Some of these legacy people are still actively advocating for our gifted youth, for their whanau and for those in their professional support networks. Despite their different roles and contributions, these people share some remarkably consistent qualities.

They notice what others overlooked.

They are willing to challenge accepted thinking.

They combine expertise with compassion.

They listen deeply, continuously learning.

They remain focused on the needs of gifted learners rather than their own recognition.

Most importantly, they act.

Whether through research, teaching, advocacy, leadership, writing, parenting, mentoring, or community-building, they translate belief into action.

Looking forward - the next ‘generation’ of legacy leaders may not look exactly the same. They may be teachers, researchers, parents, principals, early childhood educators, psychologists, policymakers, community advocates, or gifted learners themselves. They may be found in universities, schools, homes, online communities, and local enrichment groups. Some will lead nationally; many will work quietly and largely unseen.

What they will share with those we honour today is not a particular title or position, but a set of enduring qualities: curiosity, courage, compassion, persistence, and a willingness to see potential where others do not. They will ask difficult questions, build meaningful connections, and continue advocating for learners whose needs are, too often, misunderstood.

The people we honour this week, who are no longer with us, are not simply part of our history. They remind us what leadership in gifted education looks like. Their legacy is not only found in what they built, but in the people they inspired. (Some of those they inspired have also been honoured this week.)

Somewhere among today's parents, educators, advocates, researchers, and young gifted learners are the next custodians of this work. The future of gifted education in Aotearoa New Zealand will be shaped by those who, like these giants before them, choose to notice, to care, and to act.

The true measure of a legacy is not found in the heights an individual reaches, but in the pathways they create for others. As we honour these leaders, we also celebrate the educators, parents, advocates, researchers, and young people who are following these pathways - and forging new ones of their own.