Newlands College’s Top Students
- Frank Neill
- Nov 15, 2023
- 4 min read
By Frank Neill
Thomas Ru was named the school’s 2023 Dux and Esther Leo was named Proxime Accessit (runner-up to Dux) at Newlands College’s prize giving on 1 November.
Two students were named as Sportsperson of the Year – Bayley Puha-Harris and Holly Robins.
Holly was also awarded the Hornal rophy for the student reaching the highest levels in sport.
Being named Dux “was great,” Thomas told the “independent Herald”.
It was also “a bit of a relief,” he said, “as they hold back telling you until the very end.”
Next year Thomas will be studying towards a B Sc in Chemistry and Computer Science at Victoria University.
However he has yet to decide what career he may follow after he grduates.
“At the moment I’m planning on doing some work in either Chemistry or Computer Science, and that depends on which side of the degree I grow into,” he said.
When asked what advice he would give young students, Thomas said “having a good balance would be my best advice – in terms of use of time and what activities you devote yourself to.
“You need to strike a good balance if you want to have a good life.”
As well as his long list of academic achievements Thomas has been involved in acting.
He and some of his friends took part in this year’s Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival, shere they performed a scene adapted from “The Tempest”.
Their performance won them the Best Comedy award at the the Wellington Region sectiuon of the festival.
Thomas was also one of the executive producers of the award-winning TEDx Youth@Paparangi talks evening.
Held at the Newland College school hall on 23 August, this event led to Newlands College head girl Qiana Ram winning the Supreme Trailblazer Award at the 2023 GirlBoss Awards.
A former pupil at Rewa Rewa School and Newlands Intermediate School Thomas also played hockey in the Newlands College boys team.
He performed outstandingly in two competitions this year, gaining Distinction in the Australian Mathematics Competition and Merit in the Oxford University Computing Challenge.
This year Tomas was first in Digital Technologies and second equal in Mathematics with Statistics.
He also atudied a university level Mathematics paper at Canterbury University, gaining 97% for MATH199.
As well as being named Dux Thomas was awarded the the Grant Shayler Scholarship for studying IT at a tertiary level.
Esther Leo, the Proxime Accessit, is a year ahead of her age, and is finishing secondary school as a 16 year old.
This year she was first in Mathematics with Statistics, first in Japanese, first in English and third in Biology. She achieved all but one assessment at the Excellence level.
Her other achievements include services to Mathswell and she was involved in the Ethics
Olympiad.
Holly Robins has a long list of 2023 sporting achievements.
She won the intermediate girls high jump and intermediate girls 800m hurdles and was runner-up in the intermediate girls long jump at College Sport Wellington’s regional championships.
She also won the under 14 girls high jump at the North Island Colgate Games, where she was runner-up in the under 1480m hurdles.
Holly was also runner-up in three other events – the intermediate girls high jump at both the
North Island Chamionships and the North Island Secondard Schools Chmpionship, and the under 1480m hurdles at the South Island Colgate Games.
As well as being named Sportsperson of the Year, Holly also won the Athletics Trophy for the top achiever.
Holly is a member of the New Zealand under 17 team that won the Oceania Football
Confederation competition and has qualified for the Under 17 women’s World Cup.
She was also named as Coolege Sport Wellington’s Table Tennis Player of the Year for 2022.
Bayley Puha-Harris had another outstanding Basketball season, where he was the Hoop Club Cup Senior A Best Team Contribution Male runner-up and was a member of the Senior A boys team that won the Central Cup.
Kῑ o Rahi is another sport where he excels. As well as bein a national member, Bayley was named the Most Valuable Senior Player at the event.
He was also named the Volleyball senior A boys Most Valuable Player and the Most Valuable
Player in the school’s Football First XI.
Among the other awards presented to students at the prizegiving were:
Mai Nguyen for overall academic achievement in Year 12.
Hiyori Ford for overall academic achievement in Year 11.
Qiana Ram, the Head Student Trophy, Esera Trophy for the highest achieving Pasifika student, The Rosenthal Trophy for contribution to improving the College environment and Me Whakamātau Trophy for service to student welfare.
Ella Pan, the Academic Captain Trophy and Gareth Varley Memorial Trophy for a student who has achieved a high standard in academic subjects and in sporting/cultural activities.
Ngaire Wiki, the Komiti Māori Award, The Ngāti Toa Taonga for overall academic success by a Newlands College Māori student and Tohu Mātauranga Māori for showing a high quality of
knowledge in Te Ao Māori.
Seren Mawby, the Junior Sportsperson of the Year.
Nayomi Thiagarajah, Captain of the 1st XI Girls Hockey, which was Team of the Year.
Jaeyun Han, the Student Coach of the Year and Killara Trophy for outstanding leadership and
contribution to sport in the school on and off the field of play.
Sacha Howard, the AWD Distinction Award.
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