Qualifications and standards

2018 Top Scholarship Award winners

NZQA celebrated the success of the highest-achieving New Zealand Scholarship students at the annual Top Scholar Awards Ceremony hosted at Parliament.

The awards recognised the elite students who make up the 2018 Premier Award and Top Subject Scholarship Award winners.

Prime Minister's Award for Academic Excellence

The recipient of the 2018 award was announced by the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern, at Parliament on 1 May 2019 – former Macleans College student, Yang Fan Yun.

PM Award Yang Fan Yun and PM

Winner of the 2018 Prime Minister's Award, Yang Fan Yun with the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern.

Yang Fan achieved Outstanding Scholarships in Biology, Chemistry, Earth and Space Science, Economics, and Statistics, and Scholarship in Agricultural and Horticultural Science, Calculus, English, Geography, and Health and Physical Education.

Premier Scholarship Award winners

Russell Boey St Andrew's College	Andrew Chen* St Kentigern College
Patrick Dowd Hamilton Boys' High School	Tikshan Ghoorah Rangitoto College
Stefan Ivanov Westlake Boys' High School	Miriam Leonhardt Mount Albert Grammar School
Daniel Mar St Kentigern College	Felix Marcon Swadel* Auckland Grammar School
William Scharpf King's High School	William (Wills) Wynn Thomas* Christ's College
Yang Fan Yung Macleans College

*Also a Top Subject Scholarship Award winner

Top Subject Scholarship Award winners

Accounting	Amanda Sim Takapuna Grammar School
Agricultural and Horticultural Science	Amy Wells St Andrew's College
Art History	Florence Ferguson Wellington East Girls' College
Biology	Breanna Camden New Plymouth Girls' High School
Calculus	Caleb Probine ACG Parnell College
Chemistry	William (Wills) Wynn Thomas Christ's College
Chinese	Yuyang (Raina) Song Westlake Girls' High School
Classical Studies	Alexander Davey Takapuna Grammar School
Dance	Annabelle London Rutherford College
Design	Stella Swney St Cuthbert's College
Design and Visual Communications	Christopher Dirks St Kentigern College
Drama	Tessa Keenan New Plymouth Girls' High School
Earth and Space Science	Alexia Landry Nelson College For Girls
Economics	Joshua (Josh) Muirson Christ's College
English	William (Willis) Wynn Thomas Christ's College
French	Adelie Lallement Wellington Girls' College
Geography	Mihnea Vlad Napier Boys' High School
German	Elisabeth Cwetler Baradene College of the Sacred Heart
Health and Physical Education	Paula Bertham Paraparaumu College
History	Ruskin Swedlund Western Springs College
Japanese	Dayoon Song Taradale High School
Latin	Felix Marcon Swadel Auckland Grammar School
Media Studies	Emily Hollis Newlands College
Music	Samuel (Sam) Cullen Verdon College
Painting	Amelia (Mia) Gordon Rathkeale St Matthew's Senior College
Photography	Maija Stephens Te Kuiti High School
Physics	Jonathan De Pledge Mount Albert Grammar School
Printmaking	Alyssa Robinson Rangi Ruru Girls' School
Samoan	Lupe Lesatele Tangaroa College
Sculpture	Sarah Burton Burnside High School
Spanish	Daniel (Dan) Harward Jones Onslow College
Statistics	Andrew Chen St Kentigern College
Te Reo Māori	Watene Campbell Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngā Mokopuna
Te Reo Rangatira	Lyla-Blue Paparoa Te Rangi Aniwaniwa
Technology	Jack Naish Western Springs College