Dr Lesley Rameka was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2025 King's Birthday Honours.
Dr Lesley Rameka was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2025 King's Birthday Honours.
Leading Māori academic Dr Lesley Rameka (Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Tukorehe) was among the 188 New Zealanders recognised in this year’s King’s Birthday Honours.
Rameka, of Taupō, was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for her services to Māori and early childhood education.
She told the WaikatoHerald she didn’t grow up with a lot of knowledge about Te ao Māori and tikanga Māori and only started to look into it deeper after she became a mother.
Reflecting on her journey, Rameka said she grew up in Foxton where not a lot of people spoke te reo Māori, even less so in an early childhood services environment.
“But when I had my children, I said they have to learn it.”
When she was in her 30s, Rameka moved to Taupō and later started working at a kōhanga reo (kindergarten) at Nukuhau Marae where all lessons were done in te reo Māori.
It was the start of a long journey.
“I recognised how valuable it was, and not only to the children, but also to adults, like myself, who were there helping out. I learned a lot.
“It opened my eyes to the requirements and resources needed for children’s learning, and our responsibilities as teachers.”
While working at the kōhanga, she started studying towards a teaching diploma at the University of Waikato.
According to her King’s Birthday Honours nomination, Rameka had been central to Kaupapa Māori learner assessment as she provided research guidance and resources for ECE teachers to use Māori concepts and values in the classroom.
Rameka was also a project coordinator for Te Whatu Pōkeka: Kaupapa Māori assessment for learning, published in 2009.
She said that research had been significant to her because it was “by Māori, for Māori, with Māori”.
“When we were working on the assessment, Māori teachers were saying that the [current] framing in place wasn’t working for them, [because it] wasn’t from a Māori worldview or perspective.
“It was important to hear the stories, the perspectives, and the history of Māori so that it could be shared to help teachers.
“So we worked with centres and Kohangas to develop the Māori world views and how it can be used in assessment, and it worked.”
When Rameka presented that work nationwide, she said she always saw Māori in the room nodding because “they can connect to it”.
Dr Lesley Rameka spends her retirement keeping busy, especially with her 15 grandchildren.
“Māori education has always been my focus. I always wanted to be able to support Māori teachers and tamariki on their learning journey,” she said.
Rameka was also the principal or an associate investigator with several teaching, learning and research initiatives, including with the Ministry of Social Development and Marsden-funded research projects.
While her research has shaped early childcare services for Māori and Pacific children, Rameka said it could be utilised by non-Māori too.
