Today we celebrated nineteen young men who have attained the highest academic award in New Zealand secondary school education. Between them in the 2023 Scholarship exams they gained thirty Scholarships across fourteen different subject areas.

With thirty Scholarship passes King’s again ranks as the top performing school in the region and one of the top performing boy’s schools in the South Island. Each year, the students are different, but what remains constant is the incredible work of our teaching and support staff who create an environment at King’s which promotes the pursuit of academic excellence above all else.

Today, we had nine young men receiving their Scholarship badges while dressed in King’s uniform. Six Year 12 students, who between them amassed ten Scholarship passes and three Year 11 students who each attained a single Scholarship pass. Of the school’s thirty Scholarships, Year 11 and 12 students accounted for thirteen of them, the best result we’ve ever had for those two year groups combined. This obviously bodes well for the future of Scholarships at King’s. More important though is what it says about our school and the opportunities it provides for the pursuit of excellence. If you have the drive, passion and courage to step outside your comfort zone, to challenge yourself like these young men have, then age or year level is irrelevant – King’s will support you to succeed against all expectations.

There is a misconception among some in the education sector that gaining a Scholarship is an elitist endeavour only accessible to a small, select group of naturally talented students. The reality, however, is very different. As I am sure our Scholarship winners will attest to, natural talent is just the result of the hard work behind the scenes that nobody else sees. Several of those who we celebrated today were not placed in the top Year 9 academic class when they began here at King’s. Nevertheless, they have spent the last five years working their way to the top in their subject areas, with a meticulous approach to classwork, countless hours of independent study at home, and the time spent struggling, making mistakes, but refusing to give in. These young men are proof that intelligence and ability are not fixed, as long as you have the right mindset and believe that you can improve through consistent effort and discipline.

All of our Scholarship winners will share similar experiences. All will have failed along the way, all will have battled with self-doubt, all will have questioned whether their best is actually good enough. Today, it was my great pleasure to tell these young men that their best is more than good enough. Their best places each of them in the top 3% in the country in a subject area, for some of them in multiple subject areas. 

Congratulations to the nineteen Scholarship recipients:

• Massimo Pezzuto - 5 - Biology, Classical Studies, English, Geography, History
• John Warman - 4 - English, Geography, Religious Studies, Statistics
• Ted Menzies (Year 12) - 3 - Biology, Geography, Statistics
• Connor Gray (Year 12) - 3 - Calculus (Outstanding), Chemistry, Physics
• Jayden Burgess (Year 11) - Calculus
• Lukas Ghidella (Year 11) - Geography
• Adam Salisbury (Year 11) - Classical Studies
• Hugh Jack (Year 12) - Classical Studies
• Connor Knights (Year 12) - Religious Studies
• Samuel Mitchell (Year 12) - Technology (Digital)
• Paddy Tyrrell (Year 12) - Chemistry
• Trent Chalmers - Design
• Archer Dovey - Painting
• Stefan Keller - Design
• Fletcher Hall - Calculus
• Shota Kozakai - Japanese
• Alex MacDonald - Chemistry
• Ben Swain - Design
• Liam Thorne - Biology