Neakiry Kivi wins the Sir Paul Callaghan Eureka Awards

Marsden student Neakiry Kivi wins the Sir Paul Callaghan Eureka Awards

The Sir Paul Callaghan Eureka Awards supreme winner for 2017 is Samuel Marsden Collegiate School Year 13 student Neakiry Kivi for her presentation "Reinventing Solar: the solution is clear".

The Award (worth $10,000) was presented by Governor-General, Her Excellency The Rt Hon Dame Patsy Reddy at Government House. The judges said the high quality of the candidates' presentations made their decision extremely difficult and they warmly congratulate Neakiry Kivi on this wonderful achievement.

As well as embracing excellence in her academic pursuits Neakiry is Marsden’s Deputy Head Girl, and is passionate about contributing to the world in which she lives. “We are very proud of Neakiry’s passion and hard work and being able to support and nurture her academic and co-curricular endeavours at Marsden”, says Marsden Acting Principal Margaret Adeane.

Neakiry’s other accomplishments include her selection by the Royal Society as one of five students to attend the 11th Asian Science Camp in Malaysia. During the week-long event Neakiry and more than 250 other students met Nobel Laureates and distinguished scientists, attended plenary lectures and contributed to panel discussions; co-winning the Veterans’ Affairs’ 2017 Battle of Passchendaele multi-media competition for a musical composition that combined piano and poetry - the prize included a trip to Belgium as part of the 100-year commemorations of the Battle of Passchendaele; winning a secondary schools’ competition held by the Royal New Zealand Navy as part of its 75th anniversary commemorations. Neakiry composed a choral and narrative piece for the Marsden Altissime Choir and submitted a record of the performance as her entry; and Neakiry was selected as one of 40 Year 12-13 students to join the Royal Society of New Zealand’s four-day ‘Powering Potential’ event.

Beyond the world of academia, Neakiry is also a veteran netball player and has represented New Zealand in small-bore rifle competitions. This all adds up to a very impressive young woman, for whom the world is truly her oyster!

Samuel Marsden Collegiate School has been providing quality independent education for more than 135 years. Today it has two campuses. The Marsden School Karori campus provides Preschool education for boys and girls, and education for girls from Years 1 to 13. Marsden Whitby provides education for boys and girls Years 7 – 13. As a not-for-profit organisation Marsden School expresses its vision in terms of what it ultimately wants to achieve for its students. That is to lay the foundation for lives of meaning, accomplishment and happiness, in a rapidly changing world. marsden.school.nz

ENDS

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