Two weeks of prizegivings culminated on Thursday with our Senior Prizegiving, recognising students who have gained first place in their subjects, and students whose contribution to the academic, cultural or communal life of the school has been exemplary.

Nayland’s top award is the Palmer Award, which this year went to Natania Ngawhau. The Palmer Award goes to students who have shown excellent all-round achievement in the academic, cultural, sporting and citizenship areas of the school. It is believed that this is the first time the Palmer Award has gone to a Maori student in the history of the school.

Natania gave a speech to the assembled staff, students and parents, explaining her journey from being a homeschooled country kid to receiving Nayland’s most prestigious award. She explained that it was a chance meeting with Principal Daniel Wilson that convinced her to come to Nayland.

“(He was) playing the same instrument as me (the trombone), so I sat next to him in the Nelson Brass Band. It was his idea to convince me to enrol as a student at Nayland College. I have been privileged to get to know him and his family quite well over the past few years. In 2018, at the age of 16, I pulled on my first school uniform,” she said.

Natania stated that the key to her many successes was taking up every opportunity that came her way. She also stressed the importance of setting clear goals and sticking to them. She went on to thank her friends and family for supporting her along the way. She also expressed her gratitude to her teachers for the extra help they had given her over the years.

“To the wonderful teachers I have had, you’ve all done an incredible job. Thank you for spending your time with me, and imparting your knowledge, even outside the classroom. To those of you who have treated me not only as a student but also as a friend, thank you.”

She finished her speech by leaving the audience with some pertinent quotes from Dr Seus.

“Kid, you’ll move mountains. Today is the day, your mountain is waiting so get on your way.”

Our other major awards were as follows:

Taea Staples won the Environment Leadership Award which recognises leadership in the areas of recycling promotion, energy-saving or environmental awareness. It was presented to her by the Honourable Nick Smith.

Hayley Sim won the Sophie Kroon Memorial Award which recognises the potential of the recipient to make a difference to the lives of others and to society.

Renz Alvez won the Cindy Mosey Trophy for Enterprise and Innovation, which recognises enterprise, innovation and the determination needed to realise goals.

Toby Sussex won the Nelson West Rotary Prize for Boys' Citizenship (the Newman Trophy.) This recognises an outstanding contribution to the life of the school.

Sophie Hampson won the Nelson Lions Club Prize for Girls’ Citizenship (the Gregg Trophy.) This recognises an outstanding contribution to the life of the school.

Zao Martin-Noble won the W C Kane Bursary which recognises academic excellence and potential. It is the runner up to our dux award.

Mandy Lowther won the W C Kane Scholarship (The Lukies Family Cup.) This is Nayland’s Dux Award recognising academic excellence and potential.

The students were also treated to an entertaining and enlightening speech by guest speaker and ex-Nayland student, Megan Papas. 

Megan left Nayland College in 2003 to study at the New Zealand Broadcasting School in Christchurch. After two years she secured a scholarship to join The Radio Network in Auckland as a technical producer for commercials and radio imaging. She has since gone onto a successful career in radio, fronting her own show on The Edge radio station, and is now co-hosting the ZM breakfast show with Fletch and Vaughan.

Megan told the audience how an early interest in English, and her reluctant involvement in the school newspaper, eventually led her towards getting involved in broadcasting.

“I hated writing stories, I hated the pressure of deadlines, and I didn’t really like doing interviews ever,” she joked, referring to her involvement with the school newspaper. “It wasn’t till I did a tour of the New Zealand Broadcasting School in Christchurch that I realised that journalism wasn’t for me – I was interested in the radio option.”

Megan used her experiences in broadcasting, both the successes and challenges, to impart some advice to students during her speech, urging them to be themselves and make career choices that would inspire them, instead of making others happy.

‘People love to tell you what you should and shouldn’t do. The great thing is, you can do you. If you don’t feel passionate about what you are doing, what is the point?” she said.

Megan also talked about her experiences with discrimination in the male-dominated field of audio production, urging students to not let other people’s opinions faze them.

“People will underestimate you. Whether it be for your age, whether it be for your gender, whether it will be for some other discriminatory reason, that’s on them. Other people’s judgements and opinions of you are one hundred percent incorrect. You have spent your whole life getting to know yourself. Don’t let anyone else tell you who you are,” she said.

She also drew on her experiences as a public figure, and the public's opinions that came with it, to remind students about treating others as you would like to be treated yourself.

“Let the people that love you give you the feedback. Don’t accept it from those who don’t know you. Let’s try and be the change that we want to see in others, and understand that we are all different. You don’t have to understand another person, but you can be understanding.”

“It is nice to be important, but it is important to be nice.”

Below you will find a .pdf of our prize-giving program that features all the winners of our prize-givings from over the last few weeks.

Families of Prize winners will be emailed over the next week with details of how to get photos.