Qualification: NCEA Level 3

Entry requirements: HOLA approval.

Content/Skills: Graphical analysis is used to demonstrate how markets function, to establish profit maximising levels of production and to examine government intervention in markets. We explore the inter-relationships between the markets for labour, money, foreign exchange and goods, and the impact on these markets of both government policies and other economic events.

Continuing to develop Canterbury's very best Economists

Each year hundreds of students from around New Zealand and from other countries enrol in the first-year Microeconomics and Macroeconomics courses at the University of Canterbury (UC). For three of the past five years, students who completed the Economics programme at CGHS/TKoHW have won the Madam Tiong Guok Hua Memorial Prize. This is a prestigious award of $3000 for being the top first year Economics student at UC. They were Shayna Black in 2016, Sophie Marris in 2018 and Sarah Bates in 2020. Two other students were first in their Microeconomics courses, Charlotte Partington in 2020 and Courtney Comley in 2021. Sarah Bates also won the Archibald Charles Callaway Prize in Economics in 2021 for being the best second year Economics student at UC. She was also first in the second year Intermediate Microeconomics – Firms and Markets course in 2021.

And further south, at Otago University, Akeira Worthington won awards in 2019 for Excellence in First-Year Economics and for Excellence in First-Year Business Statistics. She was First in 3rd Year Econometrics in 2021. Hannah Smith also won a First Year Excellence award in 2021.

In other recent successes, in 2022 Courtney Comley (Yr 13 2020) was awarded a Women in Central Banking Scholarship by the Reserve Bank. And in 2021 Sarah Nelson (Year 13 2013) completed her PhD in Economics at Cambridge University.

Field Trips: None.

Course Costs: There are no associated costs.

Assessment:

2 Internal Achievement Standards worth 10 credits

2 External Achievement Standards worth 10 credits

This course offers 20 UE Reading and 10 UE Writing credits.

Where does it lead? There is a wide range of careers open to students of commerce. These include Accounting, Economics, Financial Planning, Human Resource Management, Information Systems, International Business, Importing and Exporting, Insurance, Management, Marketing, Operations and Supply Chain Management, Business Strategy and Entrepreneurship, Taxation, Tourism, Event Management, Insurance and more.

A great pathway into any of these careers is to complete a Commerce Degree (B.Com) at any university in New Zealand or overseas. A B.Com will require you to complete an economics paper and an accounting paper in your first year of university.

Completing Year 13 Economics at school will ensure you are well prepared for an easy transition to these university papers. As detailed above, students from CGHS are regularly amongst the very top performers in these subjects at university. Almost all past students are in the top 25% of students in first year economics papers at UC. We know how to get you ready!

Information about careers in Commerce (and in lots of other areas) can be found at

https://www.canterbury.ac.nz/careers/subjects/

Careers in Commerce pay the 4th highest salaries behind IT, Medicine and Engineering.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/125587619/the-toppaying-industries-for-university-graduates

For further information see Mr Blyth or Miss Price.

Monetary & Fiscal Policy Challenges

Selected students will have the opportunity to participate in the Monetary Policy Challenge https://www.rbnz.govt.nz/education/2022-monetary-policy-challenge We have been Regional winners & National Finalists in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2018, 2019 and were 3rd in New Zealand in 2013. (covid has meant this competition has been suspended since 2020)

There are also opportunities some years to enter the Treasury Schools Challenge. We have an outstanding record in this competition. Our results have been 3rd in New Zealand 2012, 2nd in New Zealand 2013, 2nd in New Zealand 2014, 3rd in New Zealand 2015 and 1st in New Zealand 2018. More info about this competition can be found at https://www.treasury.govt.nz/about-treasury/our-work/education-community

(covid has meant this competition has been suspended since 2019)

Scholarship Successes

In recent years Commerce students at CGHS have been awarded about $150 000 worth of Economics and Accounting Scholarships. These include:

PricewaterhouseCoopers Scholarship

Jino Lee 2022

Bella Martin 2021

Kelliher Economics Foundation Scholarship in Economics

Letitia Stenberg 2006

Hannah Grieve 2008

Victoria Clarke 2009

Sarah Nelson 2012

Siana Worthington 2015

University of Canterbury, College of Business & Economics, Maori Scholarship for Excellence

Rennae Hopkins 2010

Genevieve Maindonald 2011

University of Canterbury, College of Business & Economics, Pasifika Scholarship for Excellence

Jennifer Naoupu 2010

University of Canterbury Professor John Bell Condliffe Scholarship in Economics

Mikayla Samuels 2005

Kimberley Ristrom 2006

Lucy Elliott 2009

Brigitte de Lambert 2010

Jessica Grant 2013

NZQA Scholarships in Economics

Hannah Grieve 2008

May Yewdall 2008

Victoria Clarke 2009

Lucy Elliott 2009

Brigitte de Lambert 2010

Zoe Mackay 2012

Sarah Nelson (Outstanding Scholarship) 2012

Jessica Grant 2013

Jessica Kikstra 2014

Shayna Black 2015

Siana Worthington 2015

Sophie Marris (Outstanding Scholarship) 2017

Sarah Bates 2019

Lulu Huang 2019

Charlotte Partington 2019