Year 11 Hastings student among top 0.04% in NZ Scholarship for Te Reo Māori

• Hawke’s Bay student Maieke Thompson achieved an Outstanding Scholarship in Te Reo Māori, sitting the exam two years early.
• Thompson was one of only six students to earn the distinction among 1518 candidates.
• Her success highlights Hastings Girls' High School’s strong te reo programme.

A Hawke’s Bay student has achieved an incredible result in her Te Reo Scholarship exam, despite sitting it two years early.

Maieke Thompson, from Hastings Girls’ High School, sat the New Zealand Scholarship assessment for Te Reo in Year 11, two years earlier than the usual Year 13 cohort.

New Zealand Scholarship is a prestigious award that recognises the most outstanding secondary school students across the country.

It is designed to challenge the most able students in each subject through rigorous assessments that demand deep understanding, high-level critical thinking, and the ability to apply knowledge to complex situations.

Among the 1518 students who sat the Te Reo Māori Scholarship assessment in 2024, only 40 students passed, with just six receiving the highly coveted Outstanding Scholarship – a distinction earned by only 0.04% of candidates, which Thompson is a part of.

Thompson said she feels good to achieve this so early, but she didn’t expect it.

“[The exam] was kind of like the Level 3 [exam] but more complicated,” she said.

“It was difficult but I just did what it said to do.”

She tackled the scholarship exam early because her teacher Evelyn Leef urged her to.

Thompson grew up in a household that spoke te reo and went to a kura kaupapa Māori, before joining Hastings Girls' in Year 9.

“So we had to accommodate that,” Leef said.

“Just reading her work you knew she had the depth of thinking and the level of reo, and so for her she needed a wero or challenge to keep her engaged.”

Despite achieving the scholarship, the teenager isn’t sure what it means yet.

“I can’t get it yet, that’s all I know.”

Students who achieve NZ Scholarship can receive a monetary award. This ranges from a one-off $500 payment for a single subject award to $10,000 per year for up to three years for premier award winners.

To receive payment, you must be enrolled in tertiary study in New Zealand. It is possible to defer the monetary award for up to five years if the student is still at school or not planning to enter tertiary study straight away.

However, Hastings Girls’ has given her a koha to acknowledge how proud of her they are, principal Catherine Bentley says.

“This is an extraordinary result, not only for Maieke but for our entire school community,” Bentley said.

“We are incredibly proud of her commitment to excellence and her passion for Te Reo Māori.”

Despite her early success in the world of Te Reo, Thompson is looking at a career in biology, but for now is happy learning more about the language and helping her peers achieve the same level of greatness.

Thompson wrote a mihi to thank all those who helped her.

Ka mihi ahau ki tōku whānau, nā rātou te tautoko, te poipoi I ahau ki runga i tēnei ara mō te ao Māori.

I would like to thank my family for supporting and nurturing me on this path to the Māori world.

Ka mihi anō hoki ahua ki tōku kura mō te hiahia ki te kite i ahau e tutuki ana i te taumata o te mātauranga.

I would also like to thank my school for wanting to see me achieve the highest level of education.

Te amorangi ki mua te hāpai o ki muri.

The one who leads the way is the one who supports the next.

Jack Riddell is a multimedia journalist with Hawke’s Bay Today and spent the last 15 years working in radio and media in Auckland, London, Berlin, and Napier. He reports on all stories relevant to residents of the region.