Rosemary Hipkins

Kaihautū Rangahau Tāoki | Emeritus Chief Researcher

Rosemary (Rose) began her working life as a science and biology teacher, followed by several years working in teacher education. Rose joined NZCER in 2001 and over the following years she led, and supported, a wide range of research projects. Most of her work has broadly related to curriculum and/or assessment innovation in New Zealand.

Projects Rose has led or co-led include: exploring the implications of decolonising our research practice; adopting a "knowledge systems" approach to bringing mātauranga Māori and science learning together; teaching for complex systems thinking; and co-editing an edition of Assessment Matters, with all papers written by members of NZARE’s Science Education Special Interest Group. She has also supported work on NZCER’s National Surveys of schools; background research to support Refreshing The New Zealand Curriculum; and background research to support equity in NCEA assessment practices.    

Rose has served on the editorial boards of several journals and particularly enjoys helping teacher-researchers shape their experiences and insights for formal publication. She supported a number of TLIF (Teacher Led Innovation Fund) projects over the years of this fund’s existence. In 2019 Rose was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to science education. In 2022 she was awarded Life Membership of the New Zealand Association for Research in Education (NZARE). In 2025, Rose retired from NZCER with the title Emeritus Chief Researcher.

Books by Rose Hipkins:

Lifelong learning large
Teaching for Complex Systems Thinking front cover

Recent journal articles: 

  • Hipkins, R., Cowie, B., Waiti, P. et al. Revisiting and Reimagining Possibilities and Opportunities for Science Curriculum-Making in Aotearoa New Zealand. NZ J Educ Stud (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40841-025-00410-5
  • Tolbert, S., Cowie, B., Hipkins, R. & Waiti, P. (2025). What’s so Wrong with Personification? Toward a Theory of Personhood in Science Education. Research in Science Education, 55:1047–1062 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-025-10268-8
  • Tolbert, S., Hipkins, R., Cowie, B., & Waiti, P. (2025). Epistemic agency, Indigenous knowledge, and the school science curriculum: reflections from Aotearoa New Zealand. International Journal of Science Education, 47(15–16), 1986–2002. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2024.2356229
  • Hipkins, R., Cowie, B., Tolbert, S. & Waiti, P. (2022). Designing for empowering curriculum implementation: The potential of “enduring competencies. New Zealand Annual Review of Education, 28, https://doi.org/10.26686/nzaroe.v28.8273 
Rose Hipkins profile
Email
rose.hipkins@nzcer.org.nz

Publications

Students as lifelong learners: Reflections on student data from the evaluation of the Curriculum Innovations Projects Research publication 2005
"I know something about forces." Self-regulated learning during science investigations in a junior classroom Journal article 2005
Information literacy and student research Journal article 2005
Teaching the 'nature of science': Modest adaptations or radical reconceptions? Research publication 2005
Shaping our futures: Meeting secondary students' learning needs in a time of evolving qualifications: final report of the Learning Curves project Research publication 2005
Time for critical thinking in secondary science? Research publication 2005
The NCEA in the context of the knowledge society and national policy expectations Research publication 2005
Students' experiences of "researching" in different subjects Journal article 2005
Documenting learning of the key competencies: What are the issues? A discussion paper. Research publication 2005
Planning and managing change: Messages from the Curriculum Innovation Projects Research publication 2005
Changing school subjects for changing times Research publication 2004
Science curricula Research publication 2004
Learning curves: Meeting student learning needs in an evolving qualifications regime: Shared pathways and multiple tracks: A second report Research publication 2004
Young children's emergent self-regulated learning skills in a primary science investigation Research publication 2004
Young children's emergent self-regulated learning skills in a primary science investigation Research publication 2004
Reframing the essential skills: Implications for and from the science curriculum. Research publication 2004
National survey of secondary schools 2003 Research publication 2004
Students' choices of year 12 science disciplines: what do we know? Research publication 2004
Developing an ethic of caring through narrative pedagogy Research publication 2004
Evaluation of 'Arts Professional Development Online' in support of 'The arts in the New Zealand curriculum' Research publication 2003