In 2007, senior manager education at the Royal Society of New Zealand Peter Spratt passed away suddenly. Peter was at the Royal Society for 14 years, where he was responsible for the promotion and support of science education.
Peter’s career began in teaching: he was head of science at Wesley College and taught the subject at all year levels. New Zealand’s geology and natural environment were very inspiring to him: he took students outside on field trips and plate tectonics was a special focus.
He was appointed National Chief Examiner School Certificate Marker for Horticulture, as well as marking school certificate science papers. He also became very involved as part of a small team preparing national syllabus guidelines and teaching resources on agriculture across the curriculum for the Department of Education.
Peter joined Teacher Support Services in Wellington as a school science adviser in 1991 working in-depth with teachers to implement The New Zealand Curriculum: Science before joining the Royal Society in 1994.
He regularly attended SciCon and other education conferences and mentored many science teachers, was a visiting lecturer in the United States, researched quaternary beetles and was involved in BioBlitz field expeditions.
His dedication and contribution to science education lives on, and the Peter Spratt Medal reminds us of his leadership and vision. Medal winners automatically become lifetime NZASE members.
| 2020 | Ian Torrie, St Cuthberts College, Auckland |
| 2020 | Jessie McKenzie (Honorary) |
| 2018 | Denis Burchill, University of Auckland |
| 2016 | Rosemary Hipkins, NZCER |
| 2014 | Jenny Pollock, HOD Earth and Space Science, Nelson College for Girls |
| 2012 | Carolyn Haslam, Faculty of Education, The University of Auckland |
| 2010 | Jacquie Bay, LENScience, Auckland |
| 2008 | Ian Milne, Faculty of Education, The University of Auckland (Inaugural medal) |