Teaching grant to highlight the work of the late Maria Tibble

Maria Tibble died suddenly at the end of last year. Photo / Supplied

A loved Rotorua educator who died last year has had a teaching grant created in her honour at a local conference this week.

More than 1000 teachers nationwide have attended the four-day Core Education uLearn conference at the Rotorua Energy Events Centre, which ends today.

The conference was designed to provide workshops and opportunities for teachers in the realm of innovative learning and had a number of grants available for educators.

Maria Tibble, a long-time teacher in Rotorua and a staff member at Core Education, died unexpectedly last December.

Her colleague at Core Education, Deanna Thomas, said Tibble was an exemplary "teacher, learner and innovator" from the area, so it was fitting that an honourary grant was created in her name.

The education grant for Indigenous Research was chosen for Tibble as a way to acknowledge her contribution to education and her work in helping Māori students succeed, Thomas said.

She said Tibble's ability to "encourage others to think outside the box" was something to be looked up too.

Tibble grew up in Koutu, where most of her family still live.

The uLearn conference was held in Rotorua across four days. Photo / Supplied