More than half the top scholar awards went to young women, and female candidates topped almost all sciences. Nineteen of the 31 top subject scholars were female.
The title for top all-round female scholar went to Abbi Fox, of King's College in Otahuhu.
Michael Oehley, from St Paul's Collegiate in Hamilton, took the award for top all-round male scholar.
The pair, who scored the highest marks for five Bursary subjects, receive $8000 in prizemoney.
More than 26,000 students took part in the Bursary examinations. Top scholar awards have been given to high achievers in each subject, generally the top 3 to 4 per cent of candidates.
The top candidate in each of the 29 Bursary subject gets $5000, apart from Latin, where there were fewer than 100 candidates so the top student gets $2000.
Auckland students received almost half the scholarships - 18 awards, down three on the previous year.
Three of the top six awards for best overall students, best Maori students and best Pacific Island scholars went to pupils from Auckland schools.
Last year, Auckland school students won all six top awards following the 2000 Bursary exams.
This year, Auckland Grammar, Diocesan School for Girls, Westlake Girls and St Andrew's College in Christchurch each had three scholarship winners.
Auckland Grammar headmaster John Morris said students at the school usually gained scholarships because of its competitive environment.
"It's the expectation that the school puts on its students - we have healthy competition and streamed classes."
The Qualifications Authority awards also included two top scholars from Havelock North High School.
Students from Christchurch schools scooped the second highest number of awards - eight - and Wellington students won five awards. Hamilton school-leavers took two awards and one each went to students from Dunedin and Palmerston North schools.
To qualify for a top scholar award, candidates must have studied at least three Bursary subjects.
As well as the top scholar awards, students who achieve scholarship results in five or six subjects receive $2500 and $3000 respectively.
In about a month, the Qualifications Authority will release statistics covering the number of A and B Bursaries achieved by students at various schools.
Canterbury University education professor David Hughes said a high-performing student at school would not necessarily achieve well in tertiary education.
* Tomorrow: The subject scholars.
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