Rate My Professor Hilary Smith

Dr Hilary A. Smith is an Honorary Research Fellow in linguistics within the School of Humanities, Media and Creative Communication at Massey University. She holds a DipTESL, an MA in Applied Linguistics, and a PhD in Linguistics, all from Victoria University of Wellington. With more than thirty years of experience in teaching and research across New Zealand, Australia, the South Pacific, and Southeast Asia, her work centres on applied linguistics in education contexts. Dr Smith maintains additional affiliations as an Honorary Affiliate at the Australian National University.

She serves as President of the national committee of the Applied Linguistics Association of New Zealand and has contributed to discussions on language policy in New Zealand. In 2025, Dr Smith was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) for services to linguistics and the community. Her research interests include applied linguistics, international development, and education, with publications addressing topics such as children’s rights in education research and language-related issues in diverse settings.