Whangārei students receive high achievement and top-in-the-country awards for Cambridge study

Huanui College high achievers, Heidi Mcgregor (left), Charlotte Gorrie, Alex Horwood, Hannah Adams, Kate Bradley, and Isabella Wellford. Photo / Supplied

Students at Northlands’ Huanui College have received recognition for their excellence in learning at the Outstanding Cambridge Learner Awards.

Alexander Horwood, Charlotte Gorrie, Hannah Adams, Heidi McGregor, Isabella Welford, Kate Bradley and Nicholas Byles each received awards for High Achievement in Cambridges’ IGCSE (International General Certificate of Secondary Education) and AS Level examinations held in June last year.

Subjects rewarded included geography, physical education, history and accounting. Around 104 students from 20 different schools across the country received recognition at the event.

Year 12 student Alex Horwood told the Advocate he wasn’t expecting the award, but it felt deserved.

“I feel like I put in a lot of work,” he said.

Horwood said he’s always been interested in geography.

Alex Horwood received High Achievement for Cambridge IGCSE Geography. Photo / Supplied

The 16-year-old said the upcoming exams have him feeling “a bit nervous.”

“But I feel like if I put in the work then I can hopefully get the same result,” he said.

Fellow Year 12 Heidi McGregor received two top in New Zealand Awards, one for Cambridge IGCSE biology and one for Cambridge IGCSE chemistry.

“I wasn’t really expecting it, but I felt really honoured,” she said.

The Whangārei born and raised student called the Auckland award ceremony “inspiring”.

Heidi McGregor was the top student in New Zealand for Cambridge IGCSE biology and Cambridge IGCSE chemistry. Photo / Supplied

“There were many amazing people there that had worked there for their awards,” she said.

McGregor said science subjects are her favourites, and she hopes to possibly pursue something in the environmental sector.

Southeast Asia & Pacific regional director for Cambridge International, Kanjna Paranthaman, said the learning shown from students during a volatile past three years makes the achievements all the more special.

“Last year was a period of finding the new normal, and getting back into classrooms gave students fresh opportunities to think, discuss, explore, and excel.”

“The students recognised in the 2023 Outstanding Cambridge Learner Awards are a diverse group from 20 different schools in various parts of New Zealand, but what they have in common is a commitment to pushing the boundaries of their own learning and to setting and pursuing audacious goals.”

The Cambridge International Curriculum is practised in more than 160 countries around the world. The international A and AS levels satisfy criteria for every university in the world, including Ivy League universities Harvard and Yale, as well as Oxford and Cambridge in the United Kingdom.

Huanui College has been administering the Cambridge curriculum since 2016.