Three residents in the greater Taupō district have been honoured with appointments to the New Zealand Order of Merit in this year’s King’s Birthday honours list.
The three recipients are: Dr Lesley Kay Rameka of Taupō has been made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Māori and early childhood education; Peter Hardy Ballantyne Carty of Tūrangi who has been made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to fly-fishing; and Mrs Welmoed (Chris) Duggan of Ātiamuri has been made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to science education.
Dr Rameka (Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Tukorehe) is an influential scholar and educator highly regarded in early childhood education (ECE) who has dedicated over 30 years to ensuring tamariki have quality education and a deep understanding of te ao Māori and tikanga Māori.
Her involvement has been central to Kaupapa Māori learner assessment in the sector, providing research guidance and resources for all ECE teachers to use Māori concepts and values in the classroom.
She has led or written key curriculum resources for the Ministry of Education and was an Expert Advisory Group member for implementation of Te Whāriki in 2017. She has been principal or associate investigator with several high-level research projects.
A master fly-tier, Peter Carty of Tūrangi has designed flies that used in New Zealand, the United States, Australia, Europe and Asia and he has been named among the top five fly-tiers worldwide. He was at the forefront of New Zealand’s professional tourist trout fishing guiding industry for 30 years, beginning in 1985, and was one of a group of guides who helped New Zealand become established as a popular international fly-fishing destination in the 1990s.
Mr Carty has been actively involved with and promoted Casting for Recovery, which helps women recovering from breast cancer by teaching them the rudiments of fly-casting and fly fishing, for which he ties all the flies for participants.
After 15 years as a biochemist and science teacher, Mrs Chris Duggan was concerned by the lack of science education at the primary level. In response she founded House of Science in 2014, a not-for-profit organisation with the mission to ensure science education is accessible, engaging and effective for primary school students.
Under her leadership the organisation has since provided more than 200,000 students with bilingual, curriculum-aligned science kits delivered to hundreds of schools across New Zealand. Her work has had a profound impact on revitalising science, technology, engineering and mathematics education in hundreds of schools, equipping teachers with tools and confidence to deliver engaging lessons and ignite curiosity in young minds.
She has earned numerous accolades for her contributions and also provides professional development to trainee teachers at various tertiary institutions, helping the next generation of primary educators deliver engaging and effective science lessons throughout their teaching careers.
