Elizabeth Rata: University of Auckland professor on making the King’s Birthday Honours list

Some of the key architects of our education system are being recognised in the 2026 King's Birthday Honours.

Elizabeth Rata has been made a Dame for her services to education, including her work on the senior English curriculum over a career spanning five decades.

She's among three education leaders to receive the top honour, alongside Susan Hassall and Professor Emeritus James Chapman.

Rata says she was thrilled to see other educators celebrated.

"Because the country has really turned the corner, I think, with education. And I look forward to the next few generations of New Zealand children being really successful."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:09):
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Speaker 2 (00:16):
Professor Dame Elizabeth Writer is with us this morning. Congratulations, Oh,
thank you, Andrew. It's actually congratulations for the entire education sector,
because I think there are three Dames and Nights coming
from education out of the sixth that we've got appointed.
So education has been honored and acknowledged.

Speaker 3 (00:37):
I was thrilled to see that because you know the
country has really turned the corner I think for the
education and I look forward to, you know, the next
few generations of New Zealand children being really successful, you know,
with our new knowledge rich curriculum.

Speaker 2 (00:56):
How did you feel when you got the call?

Speaker 3 (01:00):
Overwhelmed? Actually yeah, I was. Yeah, it's a huge honor
and I just feel in credible honored.

Speaker 2 (01:10):
You mentioned how how you're very excited about kids in
New Zealand and the education they're going to receive. If
you had a large helping hand in Erica Stanford's current
approach to education and the new curriculum. Erica says you're
an inspiration over your career. How far did education standards
fall and how easy will it be? Or hard will
it be for them to recover.

Speaker 3 (01:32):
I've been doing some work on the history of education
and tracked the beginning of the decline has started back
as the seventies actually, but yeah, and then in the
last ten years especially, they've really really declined. I feel
deeply concerned for you know, the children who have been

(01:52):
educated in our school only some of our schools in
the last last decade. Of course, there are many schools
that have held on to high standards, so I think
it will take a bit to turn around. But then's
moving very quickly, and I think Erica Stanford is right
to start with the curriculum and she's now moving to

(02:16):
look at qualification system. You know, there are other changes
coming through as well, but starting with the curriculum is
a very wise move.

Speaker 2 (02:27):
Is education too political in New Zealand? It's fair to
say the unions and the parties of the left were
so happy with the changes to the curriculum. They might
not be so accepting of your honor. Are we just
too political over education?

Speaker 3 (02:39):
It's a great pity. What we should be doing is
putting children first. What matters is that children are really
well educated, and that's something I'm just enormously privileged, you know,
to be a New Zealander and to come from a
family that values education as the greatest richness available to children.

(03:00):
And you know, I've benefited from from the wonderful education
system that we had, and all children should think. I
think this move to a standardized curriculum throughout the country
will mean that we don't have pockets of children who
miss out very good.

Speaker 2 (03:17):
Now I have to practice this. I guess you do too,
Professor Dame Elizabeth writer, is the right way to call you?
Your Your letterhead is going to get rather massive, isn't it?

Speaker 3 (03:26):
Of course? Yeah, it's as I say, it's a It's
a wonderful honor and I am overwhelmed by it.

Speaker 2 (03:36):
Thank you so much for your time this morning, Professor
Dame Elizabeth Riser.

Speaker 1 (03:39):
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