Ako Aotearoa is proud to announce the recipients of the 2025 New Zealand Literacy and Numeracy Educator Awards, recognising two outstanding educators whose work has transformed learning in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Presented on International Literacy Day, these awards honour the legacy of Dr Judy Paterson and Dr Sue Dymock and celebrate the ongoing impact of educators who empower learners through literacy and numeracy.
Numeracy Educator Award | Te Tohu Kaiako Pāngarau o Aotearoa
Gary, a retired Learning Skills Tutor in mathematics from the Western Institute of Technology at Taranaki (WITT), has been recognised for his lifelong dedication to improving numeracy education. With a career spanning over four decades, Gary’s work has focused on supporting learners with dyscalculia and math's anxiety.
Gary’s most recent contributions has included the development of the now globally recognised tool, DysCalculator. An alternative calculator designed In Aotearoa New Zealand to reduce barriers for people with dyscalculia and number-challenged learners. Gary’s commitment to equity and accessible learning has helped reshape how numeracy is taught and understood, both in Aotearoa and internationally.
New Zealand Literacy Educator Award | Te Tohu Kaiako Reo Matatini o Aotearoa
Shari, Programme Lead for the New Zealand Certificate in Study and Employment at Ara Institute of Canterbury, has been recognised for her transformative work in adult literacy education. After nearly two decades teaching academic English in Japan and Turkey, Shari returned to New Zealand in 2018 and has since become a driving force in Pathways education.
Her literacy programme at Ara is built on inclusive, learner-centered principles, helping adults re-engage with education after long absences or difficult past experiences. Shari’s work goes beyond the classroom, offering pastoral care and cross-departmental support to ensure learners feel heard, valued, and confident. Her approach shows how literacy can be a pathway to identity, dignity, and new possibilities.
Ceremony Highlights
The ceremony opened with a warm welcome from Ako Aotearora Deputy Director Māori, Dr Joe Te Rito, who acknowledged the significance of the day and highlighted the relevance of a Māori proverb:
Kei hopu tō ringa ki te aka tāepa engari kia mau ki te aka matua / Do not grasp hold of the loose-hanging vine, but hold fast to the parent vine.
Graeme Read, Manako Programme Manager also spoke to the importance of the awards in light of the recent PIACC results, which show a decline in adult literacy and numeracy in New Zealand. He emphasised that these awards recognise educators whose work is actively reversing that trend.
Personal reflections on Dr Judy Paterson and Dr Sue Dymock’s legacy were also shared during the ceremony by event attendees.
“Judy was like an unofficial mentor - a mother figure who offered unlimited support to anyone who needed it. Without her, I think my research life would be very different.”
“Sue was a big change for me going into her classes – There were a few of us there from different areas of education. And we were hit with the research triangle... She was wonderful at really bringing us all up a level to reading research, understanding research and critiquing it.”
Watch a recording of the ceremony
View on the Ako Aotearoa YouTube Channel
Ako Aotearoa congratulates Gary Sharpe and Shari Young for the outstanding contributions to Literacy and Numeracy education in Aotearoa New Zealand.
