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Academic Excellence: Celebrating University Transitions

By Richard Harvey | Posted: Wednesday February 18, 2026

While traditional school benchmarks are important, many of our top Year 13 students choose a more rigorous path.

While traditional school benchmarks are important, many of our top Year 13 students choose a more rigorous path. Rather than focusing solely on NCEA Scholarship exams, these students challenge themselves through our Tertiary Programme, completing university-level papers while still at school. This pathway fosters independence and ensures our boys are prepared for the demands of higher education.

This is part of our ‘Crafting Men of Oak’ vision: the deliberate opportunities and challenges we offer to enhance a well-rounded education.

This week, we celebrate many of our 2025 leavers beginning their first full year of university or other tertiary study. Thanks to their success in these papers, many are starting their degrees already “ahead of the curve.” Their hard work was also recognised financially; our students were awarded over $400,000 in scholarships from the University of Otago alone, providing a kick-start to their tertiary careers. We wish these young men the very best as they begin their studies this week.

Last Year's University Results

Mathematics (MATH199) (6 students): The group achieved phenomenal results, with the highest score reaching 98% (A+). Several students achieved scores in the mid-90% (A+) range, and the entire group consistently performed within the A and A+ grade bands.

Psychology (3 students): Students displayed impressive intellectual maturity, with several achieving A and A+ grades in introductory university psychology.

Criminal Justice & Social Sciences (2 students): Strong results, including A and B+ grades, demonstrated sophisticated engagement with complex legal and social concepts.

Our 2026 University Cohort

We are proud to highlight our current Year 13 students who are already enrolled in or undertaking university papers.

University of Canterbury

  • Mathematics (MATH198): Sunny Jiang, Joseph Uehar, and Zakariya Rizwan

  • History (HIS137): Joshua Geddes and Matty Richards

  • Psychology (PSYC105): Sam Holborow and Michael Kirkland

  • Economics (ECON199): Luca Mirosa

  • Anthropology: Will Cone

  • Communications (COMS101): Alex Tavendale

University of Auckland

  • Advancing in Mathematics (MATHS199): Kase Robertson

These students are balancing a full senior school programme with the demands of tertiary study, strengthening the critical thinking and academic writing skills that will serve them for years to come.

We congratulate all our scholars on their hard work and look forward to another year of academic growth and success.