Westlake Boys High School Westlake Boys High School
NZQA Scholarship at Westlake
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The epitome of academic rigour, the NZQA Scholarship examinations provide students from around the country with the opportunity to compete on a national stage. The top 3% of students nationwide are awarded a Scholarship and the top 0.3% of students nationwide are awarded an Outstanding Scholarship. These students earn prize money that is put towards their tertiary education.

The Scholarship programme at Westlake Boys has an exceptional legacy of success. Each year, hundreds of students elect to attend extramural Scholarship classes before and after school. This extramural programme is staffed by an array of experienced teachers who give generously of their time to ensure that these classes can run. Additionally, all Year 13 extension programmes are embedded with Scholarship material and these students sit Scholarship examinations alongside their Level 3 qualification.

The 2023 Scholarship results were exceptional. Westlake students were awarded 255 Scholarships. Not only did this position Westlake as the top performing school in the country, but this was also the highest number of Scholarships grossed by any school since the inception of the NZQA Scholarship programme in the early 2000s. Our exceptional achievements over the past few years are listed below. 

2023 Scholarship Achievements:

  • Andy Tao awarded the Prime Minister’s Award for Academic Excellence. This recognises the top Scholarship student in the country. Andy was also named as a Premier Scholar (top 11 candidates nationwide). Andy earned an unprecedented 11 Scholarships, with 4 at Outstanding. He was awarded $30,000 for his tertiary study.
  • Six students named as Outstanding Scholars (top 50 candidates nationwide): Alan Bailey, Cruz Erdmann, David Hu, William Jun, Daniel Seo, and Daniel Zheng. These students were awarded $15,000 for their tertiary study.
  • Three students named as Top in Subject: Cruz Erdmann (Biology), Andy Tao (Earth and Space Science), and Mason Drylie (Media Studies). These students were awarded $6,000 for their tertiary study.
  • 255 total Scholarships were earned by Westlake students. Of those, 28 were Outstanding Scholarships. 

2022 Scholarship Achievements:

  • Two students named as Premier Scholars (top 11 candidates nationwide): Hunter Haynes and Simon Geertsema. These students were awarded $30,000 for their tertiary study.
  • Five students named as Outstanding Scholars (top 50 candidates nationwide): David Choi, Hugo Chou, William Jun, Andy Tao, and Ethan Wang. These students were awarded $15,000 for their tertiary study.
  • Three students named as Top in Subject: Jack Barnett (Art History), Oliver Garner (Music), and Ethan Wang (German). These students were awarded $6,000 for their tertiary study.
  • 204 total Scholarships were earned by Westlake students. Of those, 27 were Outstanding Scholarships.

2021 Scholarship Achievements:

  • Two students named as Premier Scholars (top 11 candidates nationwide): Nathaniel Williamson and Daniel Lee. These students were awarded $30,000 for their tertiary study.
  • Six students named as Outstanding Scholars (top 50 candidates nationwide): Michael Edwards, Hunter Haynes, Alex Jobbins, Bond Winiata, Oliver Xu, and Michael Zhou. These students were awarded $15,000 for their tertiary study.
  • One student named as Top in Subject: Michael Zhou (Media Studies). He was awarded $6,000 for his tertiary study.
  • 226 total Scholarships earned by Westlake students. Of those, 31 were Outstanding Scholarships.

The Premier Scholars (Nathaniel and Daniel), along with the student named Top in Subject (Michael) were celebrated at the Prime Minister’s Top Scholars ceremony in Wellington in May.

The Scholarship programme at Westlake has a bustling calendar of events that aim to build community and connect students. Notable highlights include the Scholars’ Assembly (where successful candidates are awarded their Scholars’ badge and Scholars’ tie), the Scholars’ Afternoon (a guest speaker event where successful alumni come back to inspire our students), and the Scholars’ Breakfast (an event designed for students to celebrate their accomplishments with teachers and whānau).

We are so proud of the success of our students in the national Scholarship programme. We look forward to continuing the future development and innovation within the Scholarship programme here at Westlake in the future.

For more information about the Scholarship programme at Westlake Boys, please contact Miss Boniolo (Teacher in Charge of Scholarship): [email protected]