Mr David Pluck, of Nelson, MNZM for services to education
Mr David Pluck, who was born moderately to severely deaf, advocates for the rights of disabled children to learn in their community schools. He trained as a primary school teacher and psychologist before establishing the Rainbow Reading programme with his wife, donating more than 100,000 books to low-decile schools.
He helped to establish Whakatū Kōhanga and whānau classes in Nelson. As the Minister’s appointee on the New Zealand Psychologists Board, he developed a programme to promote the training of female psychologists. He developed guidelines for the use of Māori cultural advisors in the Family Court. Mr Pluck established the Ministry of Education’s Intensive Wraparound Service Te Kahu Tōī