Gifted students in New Zealand are being held back, their extraordinary potential untapped. At just 16, Maria Walker-Kinnell is leading the charge for change, ensuring these bright learners receive the recognition and support they deserve to thrive.
Maria is an award-winning speaker, as confident addressing politicians as she is inspiring educators or running workshops with young people. At our MPs’ Neurodiversity Lunch in 2023, Maria’s powerful speech left ministers remarking she’d be more effective in Parliament than most sitting members!
You can book Maria or one of our incredible Young Neurodiversity Champions for your next event here.
Maria’s impact doesn’t stop there. She’s helped teachers nationwide better understand and support gifted and neurodivergent learners, featuring in our FREE Gifted 101 nine-week course and The Education Hub's Neurodiversity in Primary Schools course.
Watch Maria in her compelling Attitude interview below
Read her story below and media articles featuring her thoughts
Maria's Interview with Attitude
The Case for Gifted Education: A Call for Change in New Zealand Schools
My name is Maria Walker-Kinnell. I’m sixteen, in Year 12, and I live in Silverdale, north of Auckland. Today, I’m speaking up for the fifty thousand gifted students in New Zealand primary schools—students who show high academic achievement and incredible potential. When recognized and supported, these learners often go on to do amazing things, becoming the future leaders and innovators of our country.
But despite their potential, too many of these students are leaving school without qualifications, their talents unrecognized and unutilized. We are watching some of our brightest minds become professional checkout operators, an outcome that’s a tragic waste for New Zealand. This isn’t because these students aren’t capable; it’s because they feel unsupported, unchallenged, and without purpose in a system that doesn’t accommodate them.
“We are watching some of our brightest minds become professional checkout operators—an outcome that’s a tragic waste for New Zealand.”
Early Recognition, But Minimal Support
I was recognized as a gifted student almost immediately in primary school. At five, my teacher told my mum that if I wasn’t given more challenging work, I’d become stifled—and that’s exactly what happened. By Year 5, I was working three to four years ahead of my classmates, yet the school had nothing for me. My teachers kept me busy running errands, filling my time but not expanding my mind. The support I needed was simply not there, and that pattern continued into high school.
In Year 8, I constantly got in trouble for doing “too much” work. When I asked to be moved up a year, my request was denied on the grounds that I wasn’t “socially developed” enough. The concern was whether I had enough friends, whether I fit into the same social box as everyone else. I’ll never forget the feeling of being held back, as if the school was looking down on me, preventing me from being who I wanted to be.
“I’ll never forget the feeling of being held back, as if the school was looking down on me, preventing me from being who I wanted to be.”
A System That Suppresses Excellence
In Year 9, the disregard for gifted students became even clearer. In one class, I worked hard to produce top-level work worthy of a 6A grade. However, my teacher informed me that, while my project deserved the highest grade, I would only be given a 5A. The reason? So that next year, my grade could be marked as “improving” when I received a 6A. But education shouldn’t be about appearances or artificially “showing” improvement—it should be about actual learning and growth.
There’s a clear, deliberate attempt to make every student “equal,” and allowing some to excel is considered “elitist.” Gifted students are held back, supposedly so others can “catch up.” But that’s not the approach we take with athletes. No one tells Dame Valerie Adams to throw the shot put only as far as the next person or asks the First XV to “tone it down.” So why is it acceptable to encourage excellence in sports but suppress it in academics?
“There’s a clear, deliberate attempt to make every student ‘equal,’ and allowing some to excel is considered ‘elitist.’”
A Vision for Gifted Education in New Zealand
I want to see an education system where gifted students are allowed to reach their full potential, supported in their learning so they can grow into the leaders and innovators they’re capable of becoming. I envision a world where I—and students like me—can go to school to learn, to be challenged, and to become the people we aspire to be, not the people others expect us to become.
The New Zealand Government could start by funding extension programs for gifted students in all public high schools. These programs could include access to higher-level exams, opportunities to work on innovative projects, and structured academic challenges that go beyond the basic curriculum. These changes would allow gifted students to thrive and develop skills that contribute to society.
“I envision a world where I—and students like me—can go to school to learn, to be challenged, and to become the people we aspire to be.”
The Need for a Mindset Shift in Teaching
The way we think about gifted students needs to change. Recently, one of my teachers immediately recognized my abilities. She took the time to talk with me about my challenges in school and understood my disappointment over being repeatedly denied a chance to move up a year. She has since made it a point to extend me in every class, offering me a learning environment that feels supportive and challenging.
A similar experience happened in Year 7, when I was placed in a “top students” class that pushed me academically throughout the year. It was the only time I truly felt accommodated, accepted, and extended. Unfortunately, the following year, this class was eliminated altogether, labeled “elitist.” Our system seems to be going backward.
“Unfortunately, the following year, this class was eliminated altogether, labeled ‘elitist.’ Our system seems to be going backward.”
Gifted Education Shouldn’t Be a Privilege
Gifted learners exist across all backgrounds. It angers me to see students in private schools receive extensions that public school students are denied. That, to me, is true elitism. I once had someone tell me that my intelligence was only because of my parents’ wealth, an absurd claim considering my mum is a single mother, living below the poverty line. and we are not in a high socio-economic bracket. In fact, I’m part Māori and Pacific Islander and grew up amid domestic violence and alcoholism. Statistically, I shouldn’t be succeeding in school. But these life circumstances aren’t what’s holding me back—it’s the education system.
“These life circumstances aren’t what’s holding me back—it’s the education system.”
The next Ernest Rutherford could be sitting right now in a low-income household in Porirua. Their ability to succeed shouldn’t depend on where they live or the income of their parents. Gifted students are an asset to New Zealand. Why are we wasting their potential?
It’s Time for Change
Our education system must evolve to recognize, support, and extend gifted students across New Zealand. The solution isn’t to hold gifted learners back under the guise of “equality.” It’s to create pathways for all students to grow and achieve their best, celebrating excellence in every form.
If we want a future where New Zealand is driven by innovation, leadership, and creativity, we need to start by nurturing these qualities in our students now. It’s time to support our gifted learners and give them the opportunities they deserve.