Teachers recognised with ASG NEiTA awards

The awards were presented by Minister of Education Hekia Parata at a ceremony held at Parliament in Wellington.

Selected from more than 200 community nominations, the national award recipients were honoured for their contributions to the profession of teaching.

This year marks a significant milestone for ASG NEiTA, which celebrates 20 years of recognising fabulous teachers and leaders within the education sector.

The 2016 national ASG NEiTA recipients are:

• Natalie Bell, early childhood teacher at Maungaarangi Kindergarten and Whānau Centre, Tauranga
• Rebecca Hansen, early childhood teacher at Grassmere Kindergarten (formerly Otatara Preschool), Invercargill
• Nick Johnston, year 3–4 team leader at Marshall Laing Primary School, Auckland
• Suzanne Lois Ings, primary school teacher at Ngutunui Enviro School, Hamilton
• David Dobbin, metal technology teacher at Trident High School, Whakatane
• Diane McKissock-Davis, head of faculty of visual arts, St Cuthbert’s College, Auckland.

ASG NEiTA Chairman Allen Blewitt says the award recipients are wonderful ambassadors to the teaching profession, who have also earned the respect of their wider school communities.

“It brings me a lot of satisfaction to know how communities all around"

New Zealand support their local teachers and the personal relationships they have built together. Since 1996 these awards have gone from strength to strength because of these relationships, which can last a lifetime and leave a profound imprint.

“The national recipients are motivated by their desire to see their students succeed and empower them by being co-constructors of their own learning; designing plans, making decisions, and understanding how successful outcomes can be built on and shared with others into the future,” he says.