Honours for top tertiary teachers

The country's top tertiary teachers have been praised for their outstanding skills and teaching excellence at an awards ceremony in Parliament tonight.

Tertiary Education Minister Dr Michael Cullen honoured the top teachers at the fifth annual Tertiary Teaching Excellence Awards.

The awards recognise exceptional teachers who show outstanding commitment to their subject and demonstrate knowledge, enthusiasm and a special ability to stimulate learners' thinking and interest.

The awards were established to encourage excellence in tertiary teaching and help teachers further their careers and share best practice.

Karl Dodds, who is the principal lecturer in maths, physics and computing at the Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology, took the Prime Minister’s Supreme Award. He receives $30,000.

Mr Dodds was selected from 10 awardees who were recognised for sustained excellence in their teaching field. The others will each receive $20,000.

• Professor Rick Bigwood, Lecturer, Faculty of Law, University of Auckland
• Dr Mark Brown, Senior Lecturer, College of Education, Massey University (Palmerston North
• Professor Tânia Ka’ai, Dean of Te Tumu, School of Mâori, Pacific and Indigenous Studies, University of Otago
• Dr Steven Lim, Senior Lecturer, Department of Economics, University of Waikato
• Dr Juliana Mansvelt, Senior Lecturer, School of People, Environment and Planning, Massey University (Palmerston North)
• Peter Murphy, Lecturer, Faculty of Health, Science and Technology, Universal College of Learning (UCOL)
• Dr Warwick Murray, Senior Lecturer, School of Earth Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington
• Dr Roger Nokes, Senior Lecturer, Civil Engineering, University of Canterbury
• Dr Lesley Proctor, Lecturer, Sociology, Department of Anthropology, University of Otago

“It is wonderful that we have such inspirational teachers and it is important to recognise them, not only for their own achievements, but also as examples to the rest of the education sector,” said Dr Cullen.

“The great challenge of teaching is to be able to help students reach their full potential. Each of these teachers has shown the capacity to do that in a way that goes far beyond the ordinary skills of teaching and they all deserve the highest acclaim for that,” he said.

Dr Cullen said all awardees were recognised for their innovative teaching methods, their original thinking and their outstanding commitment, by both their students and their peers within their profession.

“The depth of teaching talent amongst them confirms that our tertiary sector is increasingly well served by sophisticated teachers of the highest calibre,” he said.