Gifted and talented

The Ministry is migrating nzmaths content to Tāhurangi.           
Relevant and up-to-date teaching resources are being moved to Tāhūrangi (tahurangi.education.govt.nz). 
When all identified resources have been successfully moved, this website will close. We expect this to be in June 2024. 
e-ako maths, e-ako Pāngarau, and e-ako PLD 360 will continue to be available. 

For more information visit https://tahurangi.education.govt.nz/updates-to-nzmaths

This section provides information to support gifted and talented maths students in reaching their potential. For more information on gifted and talented students see Gifted and Talented Online.

What is a gifted student?

A gifted student is more than just a student whose scores on tests are higher than others. Consistently high test scores are certainly an indication of exceptional ability, but there are other aspects to giftedness that must also be taken into account. These include creativity, adaptability, persistence, curiosity, and motivation as well as communication and leadership skills. While not all gifted students demonstrate all of these characteristics, they are common signs to be aware of.

What is a gifted and talented maths student?

A student who is gifted at maths is likely to score highly on standardised tests such as PAT and e-asTTle, though many gifted maths students underperform on these tests due to a lack of interest or motivation. (read more)

Identifying gifted and talented students 

There is no standard procedure required to be used in New Zealand schools for identifying students who are gifted in maths. (read more)

Providing support for gifted and talented students 

Because giftedness presents in such a wide variety of ways, there is no single best approach to catering for gifted students. (read more)