Life membership of the New Zealand Association for Research in Education
NZARE had been planning since mid-2022 to award Professor Martin Thrupp with a life membership of NZARE, but had deferred until he could be there in person. Unfortunately, he passed away at the beginning of 2024.
Nesta Devine, Kirsten Locke, and Georgina Tuari Stewart have written a beautiful He Poroporoaki: Obituary. To acknowledge Martin’s contribution to NZARE, the organisation is awarding him a posthumous Life Membership.
Professor Martin Thrupp of the University of Waikato, Te Kura Toi Tangata School of Education was a long-time member of, and contributor to, NZARE. Martin has been a regular presenter at NZARE conferences, a joint organiser of an NZARE conference, and a joint coordinator of the education policy Special Interest Group. He edited the New Zealand Journal of Educational Studies | Te Hautaka Mātai Mātauranga o Aotearoa, and wrote for NZARE’sr blog – Ipu Kererū. His contributions exemplified his ability to communicate complex issues and share views about educational topics in Aotearoa New Zealand in a way that is readable for teachers, parents, whānau, school leaders, policy makers, and other researchers. His communication skills enabledhim to connect with a wide variety of audiences, including being consulted by New Zealand media for advice. As a proficient and fruitful researcher, Martin made a substantial contribution to research into education policy and leadership, and their impacts on life outcomes for learners. He brought a strong social justice lens to his work and has had influence both here and abroad. He designed and led substantial research projects both nationally and internationally. His most recent project has been a comparative study of the privatisation of schooling in Finland, Sweden, and New Zealand. Martin has an impressive and lengthy list of academic publications to his name, and has received awards for his work. He recently co-edited ‘Finland’s Famous Education System - Unvarnished Insights into Finnish schooling’ (Springer 2023). Martin also wrote many other books, including one about New Zealand’s National Standards policy, ‘The Search for Better Educational Standards: A Cautionary Tale’ (Springer 2018). He coedited the next edition of New Zealand’s main text for teacher education: The Professional Practice of Teaching in Aotearoa New Zealand. His support of NZARE as well as his career in educational policy and leadership, his research, and scholarly endeavours make Martin a very worthy recipient of life membership.
- Content supplied by New Zealand Association for Research in Education.