Art Success on the National Stage

By Anna Ward | Posted: Tuesday February 3, 2026

Kaiau Karena’s hard work and dedication in Art have seen him succeed at a national level, with the high standard of Excellence demonstrated in his Level 3 Painting portfolio.

His work has been selected to be part of one of the three Top Art touring exhibitions that travel around New Zealand. The school is very proud of Kaiau’s achievement, which has been recognised with this honour. We hope to see his work at the Dunedin School of Art in June when one of the exhibitions comes to the city, and we will keep you informed closer to the time.

Top Art is an annual event, featuring a selection of NCEA Level 3 portfolios that achieved Excellence in Visual Arts in the previous year. Five streams are covered: design, painting, photography, printmaking, and sculpture. Top Art gives secondary students and teachers an opportunity to see what is required to achieve Excellence at Level 3. It also allows members of the public to view the high-quality art created in schools.

"Te toi whakairo, ka ihiihi, ka wehiwehi, ka aweawe te ao katoa"

"Artistic excellence makes the world stand up in wonder"