Dr Hilary Smith
In case you missed it on our social media channels last month! VSA is delighted to congratulate Dr Hilary Smith, past VSA Council member and long-time volunteer, on being awarded the prestigious New Zealand Order of Merit, announced in this year’s New Year’s Honour list. This well-deserved recognition is a testament to her outstanding contribution to the education sector and her many years of community service.
Dr Smith has been involved with VSA for more than 40 years and has demonstrated unwavering dedication, leadership and a deep commitment to education as reflected in her service as a VSA teacher educator in Tonga, Papua New Guinea and Laos. She served as the Chair of the Council between 1998 and 2007, has been a member of the VSA Appointments Panel, and has also chaired local interest groups in Te Whanganui a Tara Wellington and Te Papaiōea Palmerston North. She was President of Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages Aotearoa New Zealand between 2008 and 2015, currently Chairs Applied Linguistics in Aotearoa New Zealand (ALANZ), and co-convenes the Languages Alliance Aotearoa New Zealand.
Through her career in applied linguistics, she has supported numerous countries as a teacher and leader including in Nepal, Indonesia, Timor-Leste and Fiji. Dr Smith has been working with the Gamilaraay Aboriginal community in New South Wales, Australia to support Gamilaraay language revival, resulting in the production of resources including multimedia materials and bilingual early reading books.
This honour reflects not only her individual excellence but also the positive influence she continues to have on those around her. We are incredibly proud to have Dr Smith as part of our VSA community, and we celebrate this well-earned achievement.
Congratulations, Dr Hilary Smith! We look forward to seeing your continued success and contributions in the future.