New Zealand’s top scholar announced

Former Hamilton Boys’ High School student Christopher Mayo has been named as New Zealand’s top scholar.

The Top Scholar awards recognise the top achieving students from the most recent New Zealand Scholarship examinations, and are presented in parliament by education minister Nikki Kaye (pictured above).

There are 46 awards for the 2016 academic year, including the Prime Minister’s Award; ten awards for top scoring scholarship students, and 35 awards for students top in individual subjects. The Prime Minister’s Award for Academic Excellence recognises the best overall achievement and is the highest accolade a student can aim for at secondary school. 

“At Hamilton Boys’ High, Christopher distinguished himself as a true academic leader by consistently achieving to a very high level, and excelling in a diverse range of subjects,” says Ms Kaye. “He received a total of eight New Zealand Scholarships in 2016, and his achievements illustrate what can be attained through hard work and dedication, along with the guidance and support of school and whanau. 

Other premier award winners are:

• Geoffrey Berntsen, Lindisfarne College
• Carlos Aguilera Cortes, Auckland Grammar School
• Yiannis Fam, Wellington College
• In Gyu (Lucas) Lee, Macleans College
• Sebastian On, Wellington College
• Kevin Shen, St Kentigern College
• Oliver Sutcliffe, Wellington College
• Yan (Tina) Zhang, Kristin School
• Yibin (Ben) Zhang, Macleans College