Honouring Professor Tracy Riley

As we reflect on the development of gifted education in Aotearoa New Zealand, Professor Tracy Riley’s work represents an important contribution to the field’s growth in research, professional learning, and international engagement over the past two decades.

Based at Massey University, she has played a significant role in developing and teaching programmes in gifted education. Through her work in tertiary education, she has supported many teachers and postgraduate students to deepen their understanding of gifted learners and to consider how schools can respond more effectively to diverse abilities and learning needs. 

Her supervision of postgraduate research has also contributed to the ongoing development of knowledge within the field.

Professor Riley has published widely, contributing books, research chapters and journal articles that explore aspects of gifted education including curriculum models, differentiation, learner identity, belonging, and the experiences of gifted students in Aotearoa New Zealand contexts. 

Her collaborative research has examined topics such as acceleration, the importance of intellectual peer groups, and the ways schools recognise and respond to giftedness.

In addition to her research and teaching, she has been active in supporting professional dialogue within the field. She served as co-editor of APEX: The New Zealand Journal of Gifted Education, contributing to the development of a scholarly platform for research and discussion relevant to New Zealand educators. 

Her involvement on international editorial boards and in professional organisations has also connected New Zealand perspectives with the wider global conversation on gifted education.

Professor Riley has contributed to national discussions about gifted education policy and practice, including her involvement with the Ministry of Education’s Gifted Advisory Panel. Internationally, she has served on the executive of giftEDnz and as Secretary of the World Council for Gifted & Talented Children, reflecting her engagement with both national and global professional communities.

As we look both back and forward, Professor Riley’s work highlights the continuing importance of research-informed practice, professional learning, and collaboration across the gifted education community. Her contributions in teacher education, scholarship, and international engagement have helped support the ongoing development of gifted education in Aotearoa New Zealand.

During Gifted Awareness Week, we acknowledge Professor Tracy Riley’s contributions to research, teacher education, and professional dialogue in gifted education.