Dr Kevin Knight, of Christchurch, MNZM, for services to education
Dr Kevin Knight is the co-founder and co-director of the New Zealand Graduate School of Education (NZGSE), one of the country’s first private teacher-training organisations.
She helped develop criteria for effective practice and tools to assess teacher effectiveness. A Te Reo and Tikanga competencies course has also been introduced at NZGSE. NZGSE has trained more than 1,600 teachers since 1996.
More than 97 percent of students gain employment in the field following graduation. Dr Knight runs NZGSE’s School Improvement Services arm, supporting school managers and teachers.
He has served on the New Zealand Teachers Council and designed a system of professional development for experienced teachers called ‘8People’.