Sir Edmund Hillary Scholars

Hayatt Al Joborry says the joy singing brings her has influenced her involvement in the performing arts and her decision to study a Bachelor of Music at the University of Waikato.

The former Macleans College student has been involved in classical singing for four years and says it allows her to communicate and express herself in a way that can't be done through speaking.

She practices between five and 15 hours a week, depending on the recitals she has coming up and has been involved in performances from The Big Sing Finale, between 2016 and 2019, the Barbershop Nationals in 2017 and 2018 and performed in the Arohanui Concert with Dilworth Choir last year.

Hayatt also made the New Zealand Secondary School Choir to tour New Zealand and Germany in 2019 and 2020.

She says maintaining a healthy body, mind and voice and always singing correctly to ensure a healthy voice are some of the biggest challenges she faces, along with learning new techniques and constantly finding ways to improve her singing.

Hayatt was Deputy Head Girl of Macleans College and choir leader of the college chorale last year.

Her goal is to eventually teach music at either secondary school or privately.

Ellesse Andrews only took up cycling four years ago but the 18-year-old is already a world champion. With a former track cycling Olympian as a father, and a former New Zealand mountain biking representative as a mother, Ellesse has cycling in her blood. She fell in love with the sport while at high school, and is kept interested by her enjoyment of making goals and pushing herself to achieve them.



Ellesse has competed in many national and international races, including the 2016/2017 Junior World Championships, the Dynamo, and the Calder Stewart series. In 2017, Ellesse won gold at the Junior World Championships, setting a new junior world record in the women's individual pursuit. She won multiple golds at the 2017 New Zealand national track championships and the 2017 club road nationals, as well as winning the 2017 Waikato and New Zealand secondary schools' sportswoman of the year titles.



Ellesse is in her first year of a Bachelor of Social Sciences, majoring in psychology. She says she chose the University of Waikato for its strong reputation with student elite athletes. Ellesse's ultimate dream is to stand on the Olympic podium.

Atera Apirana's earliest kapa haka memories are of watching Matatini replays with a poi in hand, a remote as her patu and rau picked from the trees outside.

Performing from an early age, kapa haka has since allowed her to represent her people and her culture all over the world. From Portugal, where she participated in the 2016 Folk Cantanhede alongside other countries such as Bolivia, Timor Leste, South Africa, to China where she performed with a small group for New Zealand Week. Most recently Atera travelled to Japan in 2019 where her kapa haka group supported Te Puia.

"I love meeting new whanau and making life-long friends. I love the memories that are created during each kapa haka campaign. We can also share messages and challenges that inspire us to grow as a people and be proud as Māori ambassadors," says Atera.

Ahead of each competition there is a rigorous training schedule of up to seven days a week as they get close to competition day.

The former Rotorua Girls' High School head prefect was also named Rotorua Young Achiever and Rotorua Girls' High School Top Scholar in 2019. In the past 12 months she has also been awarded Female Leader Winner for her kapa haka with Raukura. Female Leader Winner with Ngati Te Rangiunuora. Ruakura were also named regional winners, while her gorup Tuhourangi Ngati Wahiao, were named Top 9 National Team.

Atera wants to pursue marketing and indigenous studies so she can travel the world sharing Maori culture and inspiring other indigenous people. She will start a Bachelor of Management Studies with Honours, Double Majoring in Marketing and Maori Indigenous Studies this year.

"My dream is to travel the world sharing our culture. I aim to inspire other indigenous people to be strong in their identity, stand steadfast to their language, protocols, traditions and encourage their future generations to be brave, bold and autonomous," says Atera.

Former Sacred Heart Girls' College Claudia Ashby has been swimming for more than nine years and says the feeling she gets after leaving everything in the pool after a race helps keep her motivated. Qualifying for the 2016 NZ World Junior Open Water Team in Holland, and representing the open team to the 2016 Oceania Champs in Fiji are some of Claudia's biggest achievements, and she hopes to one day represent New Zealand at events such as the World Champs, Commonwealth Games and the Olympic Games. For now Claudia plans to focus on continuously improving and training hard. Claudia says the Hillary Scholarship will not only help her financially but will help push her to be the best athlete she can be and she is grateful for the support the scholarship will provide. She is currently studying a Bachelor of Health, Sport and Human Performance majoring in Human Performance Science.

Running onto the field representing New Zealand in the girls Under 18 New Zealand touch team is one of Mereana Atatoa Carr's greatest achievements to date.

The former Hillcrest High School student will start a Bachelor of Science majoring in Ecology and Biodiversity at the University of Waikato this year, alongside continuing to play touch rugby.

Mereana has been playing touch rugby since she was eight and says she has always known the sport because her father inspired her to start after she watched him playing touch.

She has played in the national touch competition three times and recently travelled to Australia for the Trans-Tasman competition, playing for New Zealand Under 18 Girls' team.

"Running onto the field representing New Zealand was definitely one of my greatest achievements so far," says Mereana.

She trains three times a week and says coming back from injuries is one of the most challenging things she faces.

He goal is to one day be a Touch Black and aims to become a marine biologist once she completes her studies.

While growing up, Josh Bartlett attended six different primary schools, eventually settling in Tauranga at Tauranga Intermediate School and Tauranga Boys' College. Now, Josh is moving to Hamilton to complete a Bachelor of Laws and pursue his dream of joining the Chiefs professional rugby union team. Inspired by the community and dedication needed to succeed in rugby, Josh's training regime consists of 14 weekly sessions, which include field, gym, biking, swimming and yoga. Josh's love for rugby began when he was 15, playing socially. Since then, he has competed for the Chiefs U18s and U20s, Super Rugby U18s and U20s, Condors Sevens and Super Eight Rugby.



Josh is not only dedicated to his sport, but also to his studies. At Tauranga Boys' College he was Deputy Head Boy, Board of Trustees' student representative and St Luke's Youth teacher. Josh is excited to undergo his studies so he can fulfill his future aspirations of becoming a man who serves others through his degree and sport.

Morgan Beere hopes to one day balance a career in engineering with international level competition in equine sport.

The former Hillcrest High School student will start a Bachelor of Engineering with Honours at the University of Waikato this year.

She says she started riding when she was two and competed in her first Horse of the Year show at age 9.

"I enjoy the challenge of working with a horse, the constant pursuit for improvement and the satisfaction of achieving goals," says Morgan.

She was selected for a National Performance Squad for the 2019-2020 season and was previously selected onto the 2016-2017 National Pony Squad. Morgan was also named in the New Zealand Under 25 Talent ID Squad for the 2017-2018 season.

During her riding career she has amassed numerous championships wins and young horse titles at premier league events. Morgan won the FEI World Dressage Junior Challenge in 2014 and 2016 and won the 2016 National Pony Series and in 2019. She also won the 2019, six-year-old, Horse of the Year.

Morgan was a house captain at Hillcrest High School and played in the schools' Lacrosse Team.

"I chose to study at the University of Waikato because of the supportive environment that the Hillary Programme provides where I can continue to pursue my sport and gain a degree in the process," says Morgan.

Emma has been kayaking for almost five years and has participated in an abundance of national events, including the annual Blue Lake regattas 1 and 2, Marathon Nationals, 10km Champs and the Canoe Racing NZ and Oceania Sprint Nationals. Emma has won a collection of titles including the 2020 10km U18 women's title, three gold medals and two silver at the Asia Pacific Sprint Cup, three golds, three silvers and two bronze across the 2020 sprint season, a gold at the 2021 Marathon Champs, and at Sprint Nationals 2021, 3 gold and 2 silver.



Each year from 2019, Emma has been named in the NZ junior development team to race at the Asia Pacific Sprint Cup. In 2020, she was selected in the U18 team, set to travel to Brandenburg, Germany, and in 2021, the same team, set to travel to Montemor-O-Velho, Portugal, for the ICF Junior and U23 Canoe Sprint World Championships.



While Emma was at Gisborne Girls High School, she was the Sports Prefect, co-captain of the First XI Football team and head of the school sports council. Emma spent 3 years volunteering as a surf lifeguard at Waikanae Surf Life-Saving Club in Gisborne. Emma aspires to one day represent New Zealand in her sport, once she has completed her Bachelor of Management Studies with Honours, majoring in marketing.

Pianist, organist, saxophonist, singer and composer ─ music is central to Fergus's life and learning. At Waikato, he's studying for a Bachelor of Music majoring in performance (piano). He comes from Taupō where, in his last year, he was head boy and dux at Tauhara College and chair of the school's student executive. He also passed his letters (ATCL) in piano and musical theory (AMusTCL), came first in a swag of musical competitions including winning the SOUNZ-NZCF Choral Composition Competition, the Taupō Youth Arts Trust Scholarship and Taupō District Youth Awards. He also composed a song Karanga ā€kau (Call of the Reef) that was performed at the ‘Big Sing' gala concert in Wellington. Fergus says he was attracted to the University of Waikato after several visits to the Hamilton campus, to attend concerts and to audition for a place on the performance programme, and more and more he found himself being drawn to the small and supportive music environment on the Hamilton campus.

Squash has been passed down through the generations of Temwa Chileshe's family, so it was only natural that he had his first game at age 10 – and never looked back. The former St Paul's Collegiate School full school prefect says he enjoys the atmosphere of tournaments and the mental and physical challenge of the sport. Temwa represented New Zealand in the 2018 Oceania Championships team, made the New Zealand Secondary Schools' team five years in a row, and reached the A1 grade at age 17. Ranked number three in the New Zealand Under 19s, Temwa was selected for the 2018 world junior team that competed in Chennai, India last year and finished 10th. Temwa aims to play at the Commonwealth Games and World Men's Championships one day – and hopefully win a few medals while he's there! He is studying for a Bachelor of Science with a focus on chemistry and biology.

Daniel Cossey started Taekwon-Do with his family when he was eight years old. Instantly enjoying the thrill of learning new skills and techniques, he began practising the sport, and has stuck with it for the past 10 years. Daniel has competed in several national and international competitions, winning gold in the junior team special techniques event and the under 68kg sparring division at the 2018 Nationals. He has also succeeded internationally, placing first in the junior special techniques division in the 2017 World Championships. He is studying for a Bachelor of Science majoring in Biology as he strives to make the New Zealand team again and compete in more world championships.

Rico D'Anvers has been pedalling his bike as fast as possible for the past 14 years traveling NZ and the world pursuing his passion for BMX racing.

The former St Paul's Collegiate student who started BMX as a five-year-old, is tackling his second year of Mechanical Engineering with Honours at the University of Waikato, keeping his studies local so he can continue his sport.

Rico says he loves the challenge of working out how to get an edge on his competitors, doing big jumps, and the tightly packed racing offered by BMX. Rico typically trains eight plus times a week across the gym, the BMX track and doing road sprints.

2019 brought many highlights for Rico's BMX career including winning the North Island titles, International C1 race in Rotorua, and placing 14th the World Championships in Belgium, all in the Junior Elite men age category. Along with being nominated by his school peers as the male recipient of the Great Oaks Award at St Paul's Collegiate. In 2021, Rico enters his second year in the Elite men age which is UCI 19 and up. Rico is the current North Island champion is Elite men which he holds back to back North Island titles from 2019 and 2020. Placing 2nd at the 2020 National Championships in this age was a great achievement, says Rico. However, in 2021 Rico plans to increase this position to become National Champion in Elite men. Fortunately, Rico was able to attend two UCI BMX Supercross rounds in Australia during 2020, which gave him a taste of how high the level in BMX is and the commitment that world class athletes make to their sport.

Having the opportunity to coach younger kids is something Rico sees great benefit in. Knowing the targets that kids need to hit to achieve their goals instills trust into them and makes coaching really enjoyable. Rico has done various types of coaching over the years but now prefers to focus on giving one or two people the edge.

Originally from Morrinsville, Rico was a sporting and environmental full school prefect at St Paul's Collegiate School in Hamilton. He also plays guitar, tinkers with cars and enjoys social table tennis when time allows. He says he wants to take his BMX career as far as possible, ideally reaching the 2024 Paris Olympics and 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, then pursue mechanical engineering and hopefully start up a business.

Cricket's his game, with singing and guitar on the side. Sajith was born in Hong Kong to Sri Lankan parents and has lived in Auckland most of his life. He attended St Kentigern College where he played in the first XI, taking tours to England and Sri Lanka and winning Auckland's secondary school premier competition in T20, one day and two dayers. Last year he was selected for the Auckland U17 side, which won their national competition, and made his debut in premier mens club cricket. He's primarily a batsman and nothing pleases him more than winning a game that's gone down to the very last ball. Naturally, he'd like to play for the Blackcaps one day and be one of the best batsmen in the world. Meanwhile he has a degree to complete and has chosen to study a Bachelor of Software Engineering with Honours. It made sense for him to come to Waikato. It's close to home, but not too close, and the University of Waikato's software and computer science programmes has a sound reputation.

Sebastian has had a passion for music since he was three years old. As a vocalist and guitarist, he's used his talents to strengthen his relationship with his culture. He's competed in numerous competitions over the last few years including the Super 8 cultural event, Tāmaki Makaurau Regional kapa haka, Te Arawa regional secondary schools kapa haka, Te Haaro o Te Kahu National secondary kapa haka, 2018 secondary nationals kapa haka and TÅ«hoe Ahurei. Through those events, Sebastian has been awarded titles of kapa haka national champion and Super 8, both back-to-back, as well as being a gold medalist for the National Māori tournament in Rotorua.



Throughout his career, Sebastian has been fortunate enough to travel around the world, including Spain, Portugal, Japan and China, as a cultural ambassador promoting New Zealand tourism. His future aspiration is to start a business that showcases Māori culture to the world.

Georgie is a contracted player with the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic netball team. Her ultimate goal is becoming a Silver Fern. The former St Peter's Cambridge head girl has been playing netball for nearly a decade, loving the competitive and physical nature of the sport and the friendships forged off the court. The 178cm-tall defender has played at nationals in U15 and U17 age group teams and in 2018 was selected in the New Zealand Secondary Schools team that travelled to Canberra to play games against England and Australia. Georgie is currently in the New Zealand U21's netball squad who are preparing for the World Youth Netball Cup, planned to happen in Fiji in December 2021. A multi-talented athlete, Georgie has also been involved with Athletics, Touch, Basketball, and Swimming at a regional level. Georgie is in her third year of a Bachelor of Communication Studies degree, majoring in Public Relations and minoring in Psychology.

Luka is currently in her 4th year of studying at the University of Waikato, completing 2nd and 3rd year papers part time towards her Bachelor of Engineering. With high-profile role models such as Mahe Drysdale and Emma Twigg, rower Luka Ellery from Te Awamutu has set her sights high for a future in rowing, combined with engineering. Luka began rowing seven and a half years ago after going along to an open day at the local rowing club during her time at Te Awamutu College. She has mostly always sculled (two oars) as single, double and quad depending on the training or specific selection for racing. Luka says one of the best things about rowing is the atmosphere and culture generated by the sport. This year Luka has been selected in the women's double scull to compete at the World Rowing under 23 Championships 2018 Poznan, Poland. Luka's biggest rowing achievements to date are being ranked 11th in the women's single scull at the World Rowing under 23 Championships 2016 Rotterdam, Netherlands, coming first in the women's single sculls, quadruple sculls and eight in the under 21 Trans-Tasman series 2015, claiming first place in the B final (7th overall) in women's double sculls at World Rowing Junior Championships 2014 Hamburg, Germany and being selected for the Waikato RPC squad for 2014/15, 2015/16, 2016/17 and 2017/18 seasons. Luka was also selected for the 2017 NZ under 23 team in the women's quad but was unable to compete at the World Rowing under 23 Championships due to a rib injury. She was part of the 2015 Gallagher Great Race Women's crew which won against University of Sydney and University of Melbourne. At the 2018 Rocket Foods New Zealand Rowing Championships she placed first in the women's under 22 single scull and 2nd in the women's under 22 double scull. During her time at Te Awamutu College, Luka was the head of the environment committee and a Keep Cool mentor, mentoring a junior student. Luka is now part of the University of Waikato Rowing Club committee, being particularly involved in the role of recruiting new members. Her dream is to make it to the Olympics, complete her degree and get work experience that will set her up for a career after rowing.

From the moment she caught her first wave, Raiha Ensor fell in love with surfing. Ten years later, Raiha is national champion, currently in her first year of a Bachelor of Health Sport and Human Performance, majoring in Human Performance Science. Originally from Mount Maunganui, Raiha has been surfing since she was seven, and began competing at age 11. She is kept interested by the unpredictable nature of the sport – she enjoys competing not only with her opponents, but also with the waves.



Although her training is heavily dependent on the surf conditions, Raiha usually spends at least two hours on the water every day. She has been involved with many different national and international competitions, including the World Surf League qualifying series and pro junior events, and the International Surfing Association World Junior Championships and World Surfing Games.



Raiha placed 9th in the 2017 World Surfing Games (Open), and came 7th and 9th in the 2016 and 2017 World Junior Surfing Championships (U18). In 2018, Raiha won the women's national surfing open championship. She aims to get to the highest level of competition surfing that she can – either competing in the Olympics or becoming a world tour surfer.

James Fellows-Ford is in his second year of a Bachelor of Management Studies (Honours) majoring Economics and minoring in strategic management. He first started playing golf at age seven, after being encouraged by his grandparents to try it. He enjoys the technical aspects of the sport and constantly strives to find new ways to improve his skills.



James has competed in several large tournaments, including the Charles Tour and the New Zealand Stroke Play. He won the 2017 Brian Perry Classic for Under 19 players, the biggest Pro-Am event in New Zealand. James was selected to represent Waikato in the New Zealand Junior and Senior representative teams. He says the biggest challenge is maintaining full concentration throughout rounds, which can last up to five hours.



In 2017, James was named a prefect, house captain and golf captain at Hamilton Boys' High School. He works with Waikato Golf to help out with the junior programme and is a junior club captain at the Tairua Surf Lifesaving Club.



James aspires to be selected for the Waikato Men's Interprovincial Golf Team, and achieve a top-10 finish in a Charles Tour event. He is aiming to win an amateur ranking tournament in 2020, and represent New Zealand at the Asia Pacific Championships.

Joey Field began playing cricket in the backyard with his family when he was three. In 2018 he was in the winning team at the Under 17 Indoor Cricket World Cup, and was selected for the National Under 19 Tournament. Joey made the National Under 19s cricket squad that will tour Bangladesh this year. His efforts earned him the title of 2018 Hastings Boys' High School Sportsman of the Year and Hawke's Bay Male Cricketer of the Year. Adding to these titles, Joey excelled at Hastings Boys' High, appointed head boy and leading the prefect group. After completing his Bachelor of Health, Sport and Human Performance majoring in Performance Science and Sports Psychology, Joey aims to work in high performance athlete development or in sport psychology.

With a 3-star event rider for a mother and a professional polo-player for a father, it was no surprise that Emelia Forsyth was on a horse soon after she could walk. She found her niche – show jumping – when she was 13, enjoying the challenge of working with a horse and figuring out what they could achieve together. Emelia competed in Horse of the Year for five consecutive years and was champion of the North Island Pony Grand Prix in 2016. She also placed sixth at the North Island Young (under 21) event, and second in the super series Grand Prix at the 2019 Auckland Championships. She's aiming to establish herself at Grand Prix level and compete internationally. Emelia balances her training with a conjoint Bachelor of Science, majoring in Environmental Science, and a Bachelor of Business, majoring in Public Relations.

Bae Fountain (Ngai Tahu) has already represented New Zealand at top level, playing in the NZ Open Men's water polo team. He was just 16 when he made the senior men's side, the youngest goalkeeper ever to be selected for the national team, making his debut at the Inter-Continental Cup held on the Gold Coast, and then playing in the week-long FINA Water Polo World League Inter-Continental Cup. His water polo career started when his mother, a primary school teacher, needed an extra player in her Flippa ball team and Bae was a ring-in. He quickly moved onto water polo and by 15 he was playing in the national youth side that travelled to Montenegro. He also plays volleyball, making the junior men's national side in 2017, but he's put that sport on the backburner for now to focus on water polo and university study. He'll be based at home in Tauranga during his study years, doing a Bachelor of Science majoring in environmental science and aquaculture, with a leaning towards creating ecologically sustainable practices.

Majenta Gaffar discovered her passion for drama and dance at an early age, performing in pantomimes from the age of 10.

The former Waiuku College student, who will major in Theatre Studies and minor in Dance at the University of Waikato this year, says she enjoys the fact theatre allows her to express herself.

"I enjoy the fact that I am able to embody a different character and see life through their eyes because it helps me understand and relate to different types of people in society," says Majenta.

She has performed in the National Stage Challenge each year between 2015 and 2017 and last year she was in the group which won the national ShowQuest and received the national choreography excellence award and excellence in lighting.

The ShowQuest dance was subsequently made into a distracted driving campaign for the New Zealand Police.

Majenta who was a school prefect, on the Maori student council and a house captain at Waiuku College, was also nominated for best lead female for her role in the play Pohutukawa tree.

She performs in around three to four shows each year and practices weekly. Majenta hopes to eventually teach theatre and dance in secondary schools around New Zealand.

Lucy Golebiowski loves to express herself through dance and having the freedom to explore her own choreography.

The Taupo-Nui-a-Tai college student will start a Bachelor of Health, Sport and Human Performance, majoring in Human Performance Science, at the University of Waikato this year.

Lucy started dancing at the age of six, inspired by her older sister after seeing the happiness it brought her.

"When I was six, I trialled my first jazz class. From there, my passion for dance grew. I later started attending regular ballet and contemporary classes to add to my jazz class. I started competing at age 11 and have been dancing ever since."

Lucy, who is also a dance teacher, says dance has provided opportunities to be her own person and she enjoys giving others the opportunity to develop their own confidence through dance.

She says her greatest achievements to date include winning a nomination to compete as a soloist at the National Young Performer Awards (PACANZ). Gaining 100 per cent in her AJDA Solo Seal exam and distinction in all her AJDA Jazz exams. She also trained and passed her AJDA Junior Jazz Teaching Certificate (while studying NCEA Level 1).

Alongside dancing almost every day, either taking classes in jazz, ballet and contemporary or her own practice, Lucy also keeps fit by running, biking, going to the gym and playing badminton.

Lucy plans to be a secondary school teacher, teaching physical education and dance.

"I want to not only share my passion for sport, health and well-being but to motivate and inspire others to find their passion and to reach their personal best."

Alongside her studies she will continue to teach dance in Hamilton and give time to students at Taupo-Nui-a-Tai as they prepare to compete at the DanceNZmade Regionals.

Celia, violinist and singer, chose to study at the University of Waikato after watching several music students go on to have successful careers, and knowing the performance tutors at Waikato were experienced, dynamic and engaging performers themselves. Both Celia's parents are musicians so it was only natural that even before she started school she was learning to play an instrument. Three times she's been a finalist in the national chamber music contest and in 2018 she was associate principal for the second violins in the National Youth Orchestra. As a singer and lover of drama, Celia's taken lead roles in her high school productions, participated in Theatresports, Shakespeare festivals, and done ballet over the years. She hopes by doing her Bachelor of Music at Waikato majoring in performance (violin), she can establish a career as a full-time musician, in a chamber music group, an orchestra, or both.

With parents who are both top tier performers in Maori Performing Arts, Ruameto Hamiora has immersed himself in as much of the discipline as he can with every chance he has been given.

When kapa haka season starts Ruameto spends up to 14 hours every weekend training and says the knowledge he has learned, and the memories made over his 18 years in kapa haka are irreplaceable.

He has attended multiple secondary schools kapa haka competitions, regional and national championships, along with Polyfest and the Aotearoa festival in Australia.

Ruameto says his biggest achievements to date are traveling overseas to represent his culture and being in the winning team for the 2018 Secondary School Kapa Haka Nationals where they earnt the title of back-to-back champions. The first group to ever achieve this.

Ruameto who was a school prefect, will continue his kapa haka while studying Maori and a Bachelor of Marketing at the University of Waikato.

His long-term goal is to continue to be heavily involved in Maori Performing Arts and return to Rotorua and work at the Te Puia Arts and Crafts Institute.

Laura Harnett is studying a Bachelor of Management Studies (Honours), majoring in strategic management and public relations.



Since the age of three, Laura Harnett has dreamed of being a prima ballerina. She trialled several other dancing styles throughout her fifteen years of experience, including jazz, lyrical and hip hop. At age thirteen, Laura discovered contemporary dance, and quickly fell in love with the freedom and fluidity of movement that the dance style encompasses.



With sixteen years of dance experience under her belt, her enjoyment of dance never fades, as she enjoys the limitless opportunities to grow and improve her art. Laura says she loves to express herself through dance, and she takes any opportunity to get involved with any dance recitals or musical showcases. In 2015, Laura was nominated to compete at the National Young Performer Awards (commonly known as PACANZ), making the finals for her contemporary solo. She has also been involved with guitar, mentoring, and the Young Enterprise Scheme competition.



Laura aims to become the manager of a dance company, helping to ensure the workplace is a happy environment for staff. One day, she would like introduce dance to stressful workplace environments to encourage wellbeing among hard-working adults.

Chase Hennessey started out playing football as a seven-year-old but his coach who also ran a karate club encouraged him to try karate.

It was a good decision for the former St John's College student who ranked fifth in the world for his age and weight division for karate, in 2019.

Chase will study engineering at the University of Waikato and continue training up to 14-and-a-half hours per week for the sport he loves.

During his karate career he has attended the Junior World Championship, Oceania Championship, New Zealand Karate Nationals, the Karate Commonwealth games and the Youth Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

He counts his greatest achievements as being New Zealand National Champion for his age and weight for the past six years in a row, being a two-time Oceania Champion and his world ranking of fifth last year, for his age and weight division. Outside of karate, Chase was a school sports leader, school prefect, played basketball and is also involved in athletics.

Chase hopes to one day win a medal at the world karate championships and eventually become a secondary schools' coach.

Emma was inspired by the University of Waikato's Bachelor of Music degree after being a part of the Unistart programme in 2019 and 2020. While she was in Unistart, she noticed firsthand how supportive the teachers around the degree are, which helped her grow her passion for music. Emma is studying a Bachelor of Music in Performance.



Emma started her career in music through the Southland Christmas Concert, in which she has performed since she was eight years old. Emma has performed for various people including former Prime Minister Sir John Key, Governor General Dame Patsy Reddy, Jonathan Lemalu and Suzanne Prentice. Emma was also in the New Zealand Secondary Students Choir that toured around New Zealand performing with internationally renowned artists including Simon O'Neill.



Emma was the captain for her school choir team, SGHS Femme, for two years and was the section leader for three. During this time her team won three local performance cups and earned a place at the NZCF Big Sing Finale, where they won silver and bronze awards. Emma plans on completing a postgraduate degree after she completes her bachelors. Once she has completed her studies, Emma aspires to perform nationally and teach others who share her passion.

Maia felt a strong sense of community and whakawhānaungatanga from the University of Waikato. She decided to study a conjoint degree in Law and Business, majoring in Marketing. Throughout her schooling journey, Maia has been on various school councils and leadership committees which included being a student representative on the Manukura Board of Trustees and the events team for school events. Outside of school, she was a spokesperson at Ngāti Kahungunu events as an up and coming youth sportswoman.



Outside of school Maia has played netball regionally, nationally and internationally. She's competed in various teams including the Waikato NNL squad for 2021, the International Secondary School Netball team, the Aotearoa Māori Secondary School team, the New Zealand Secondary School Development camp and she's currently involved in the New Zealand U21 Emerging Talent selection camp. The highlight of her sporting career has been representing New Zealand in the International School Girls Netball competition. Her team had a nail-biting final against Australia, winning by one point.

Cameron is studying a Bachelor of Science. Currently in his second year of study, Cameron has been playing touch rugby since he was in primary school. He enjoys the technical aspects of the sport, as well as the new relationships formed from playing in a close team environment.



Cameron represented New Zealand in the 2017 Youth Trans-Tasman Touch Rugby Championships, won a silver medal at the 2016 New Zealand Secondary School National Tournament, and captained the Paeroa College team, which won the national tournament. He is a well-rounded athlete, also competing in rugby union, athletics, and just about any sport he gets the chance to play in. He was Paeroa College Head Boy in 2017 and a member of the senior student council.



The third sibling in his family to attend the University, Cameron is very familiar to Waikato and is happy to be staying close to his home, Paeroa. He is looking forward to focussing on his studies and sport this year, aiming to represent New Zealand in touch in the open age grade one day.

Jana Kivell is in her final year of undergraduate study at the University of Waikato, completing a Bachelor of Business double majoring in Finance and Economics. The ice and inline hockey player attended Hamilton's Hillcrest High School from 2014 - 2018.

A few of her sporting highlights include winning a bronze medal at the 2020 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships Division IIB with the NZ Ice Fernz, and placing 3rd at the 2017 World Roller Games in Nanjing, China with the New Zealand 18U Junior Women's inline hockey team. She also won the 2017 IIHF Women's Challenge Cup of Asia in Bangkok with the New Zealand U18 women's ice hockey team. Jana was awarded Best Player of the 2017 New Zealand U18 team and received an award for Best Forward at the 2017 Mega Ice Hockey 5's tournament in Hong Kong. Another highlight for Jana was receiving a silver medal at the 2018 IIHF Women's Challenge Cup of Asia as an Assistant Captain of the New Zealand U18 women's ice hockey team in Kuala Lumpur. She has competed at the Inline Hockey World Championships, as both an Assistant Captain of the New Zealand 18U Junior Women's team and a member of the New Zealand Inline Ferns for a number of years. She won a bronze medal at the 2020 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships in Iceland with the NZ Ice Fernz, where she was also New Zealand's highest points scorer. Jana is currently a member of both the New Zealand Inline Ferns and New Zealand Ice Fernz. In addition to her own sporting achievements, Jana has also coached a range of representative inline hockey teams for a number of years.

Her future aspirations include continuing to represent New Zealand in both inline hockey and ice hockey, and to make the most of opportunities. She is very grateful to be a Sir Edmund Hillary Scholar at the University of Waikato and is appreciative of the additional support the programme offers.

Hamiltonian student Hannah Knighton entered a Weet-Bix Kids TRYathlon when she was seven years old and has been hooked ever since. The talented triathlete is in her second year of a Bachelor of Science, majoring in data analytics and human performance science.



Hannah thrives on a challenge and loves that triathlons allow her to compete at three sports at once. She has competed across New Zealand in swimming, cycling, cross country, and triathlon events. Over the past few years, she has also competed for New Zealand as a Junior Elite athlete at multiple triathlon events around the world.



Each week, Hannah combines swimming, cycling, running, stretching and strength work to create an intensive training programme. Her ultimate goal is to win gold at the Olympics, and she hopes to work in high performance sport one day.

Hamish Legarth has only been kayaking for six years, but he's already one of the best in the country for his age. He first became involved after watching his sister compete at regattas, and decided to give it a go himself. Hamish quickly fell in love with the competition and the feeling of becoming fitter, faster and stronger.



Hamish has attended several national and international competitions, including the Junior World Championships in Belarus and Romania, placing 15th in 2017. He was named the 2017 team leader of the Junior Men's Team, winning gold in the K2 1000m at the Oceania Championships.



A true all-rounder, Hamish also captained the Havelock North High School 1st XI Hockey team, and has been involved with surf lifesaving, canoe polo and orienteering. He was Havelock North High School deputy head of house, Jarrod Cunningham Sports Academy Ambassador, and a tutor for his school academic committee.



Hamish is in his first year of a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours), and hopes to become a registered engineer when he graduates. In the future, Hamish aspires to represent New Zealand at the Olympic Games.

Ever since she was a little girl Melika Lolaki was always a fan of film and its ability to allow creative storytelling.

With a camera in hand she started directing and making short films with her friends in her backyard as an eight-year-old.

Now the former Hamilton Girls' High School student will start a conjoint Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science degree, majoring in screen and media and computer science at the University of Waikato.

"I enjoy the creative process and I like that film is a potent medium to portray and delve into universal truths and challenge the status quo if need be," says Melika.

In 2018 she was awarded the Kearns Cup, which is awarded to the top English student in Year 12 and in 2019 she was awarded the Dave Hewitt Senior English Cup which is awarded to the top English student in Year 13.

Melika studied level 3 Media Studies as a Year 12 student and created a short film which received an excellence grade. In 2019 she sat the NZQA Scholarship Media Studies paper and was awarded the paper at scholarship level.

She was both Deputy Head Girl and Academic Council Captain at Hamilton Girls' High School where she also launched the school's first ever student magazine called Lionheart.

"Its creation gave rise to a platform through which students can express their opinions and thoughts, whether it be through critical reviews, poetry, opinion pieces or short stories," says Melika.

Her role on student council also saw her organise the school Academic Quiz as well as STEAM (Science Technology Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) Week and SLEAK (Social Sciences, Languages, Art and Ka Awatea) week.

Melika has been involved in the school debating team from 2017 to 2019 and been a semi-finalist twice in the Waikato Secondary Schools' Debating Competition and once in the New Zealand Schools' Waikato Regional Debating Competition.

She was also a member of the Hamilton Girls' High School Philosothon team who claimed the first in the Waikato Regional Competition in 2019.

"In the future, I aspire to become a director who creates films which inspire and captivates audiences," says Melika.

Campbell Maclean has always loved sport, and grew up trying out every sport he possibly could – but hockey was the one that stuck. The former Taupo Nui a Tia College house leader has been playing for more than eight years now, and loves the competitive nature of the game. Playing in the midfield position, Campbell was named in the NZ U18 Talent Identification squad in both 2017 and 2018. Throughout high school, Campbell represented the Midlands and the Bay of Plenty, winning a team medal in the U18 Midlands men's team at the 2018 national tournament. Campbell hopes to play in the National Hockey League and to eventually play for New Zealand.

Napier-born Ethan Martin has played football from the age of five, thanks to encouragement from his sports-mad father. He enjoys the fact that every game is different and there is always room to improve.



Ethan has been involved with numerous national and international tournaments, including the 2018 World University Futsal Championships, the 2017 Oceania Futsal Championships, National Men's Futsal League, Under 19 Futsal Tournaments, and National Secondary Schools Tournaments. He prepares with good nutrition and positive thinking, alongside his on-season training regime of two-hour sessions daily, with games on Saturdays.



Ethan's greatest achievements are making the NZ University Futsal Team, U18 Futsal Team and being named 2017 Hawke's Bay Footballer of the Year. His career highlight was representing his country in Kazakhstan at the World University Futsal Championships and captaining the team to their first win in the team's history.



Ethan is in his second year of a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours), hoping to become a respected mechanical engineer making a difference in the world. He aims to make the Futsal Whites by the time he has finished his degree.

Cindy Masterman is in her first year of a Bachelor of music, majoring in Performing. She aspires to be a professional chamber musician, traveling the world to share her story through music. From Brisbane, Australia, Cindy chose to study at the University of Waikato because of its highly qualified staff and the facilities it offers. She began playing cello as an eight-year-old and was a member of the Queensland Youth Orchestra between 2014 and 2019. In 2019, she obtained the Australian Music Examination Board Licentiate for cello, with Distinction, under the experienced guidance of Christine Wang. Cindy attended Australian Youth Orchestra camps in 2019 and 2020 and cherishes her development and experiences with her friends and peers. She has also been a member of the Canterbury College Artist Piano Trio, coached by Tim Li from 2015 to 2019. The Artist Trio performed in various concerts and competitions throughout Brisbane. Cindy says she loves making music with others and enjoys the satisfaction she feels from performing after working hard. She has also learnt piano from the age of five and enjoys listening to various genres of music. Outside of music, Cindy was a competitive swimmer being named district age champion from 2016 to 2018.

Lisa Mather is now in her third year of a Bachelor of Business, majoring in strategic management with a minor in international management. She demonstrates a passion and drive for achieving in sport and has accomplished mostly with netball.



Lisa was born and raised in Northland and embarked on her netball pathway when she left in 2017 for a netball scholarship at St Peters Cambridge. From 2017 she was a part of the U19 Hamilton City netball team, who won the national tournament, named Most Valuable Player at St Peter's Cambridge premiere team, was a reserve mid-court player for the 2017 NZSS Netball Squad and was a part of the Beko Netball League. In 2018 she was offered an opportunity as Magic training partner which lead to a full player's contract in 2019. 2020 looks at little bit different as she still attempts to balance studying at the University of Waikato while playing for the Northern Stars based in South Auckland.



A multi-talented athlete, Lisa has also been involved with athletics, sevens, touch, volleyball, and gymnastics. She was vice-captain for her school premiere netball team and a gymnastics coach for her local club. She enjoys coaching and sharing her netball pathway in hope to inspire others from smaller regions.



Lisa hopes to use her business degree to be employed by well-recognised enterprise, with aspirations to eventually run her own business. Lisa aims to become a key player for the Northern Stars netball team in 2020 while maintaining a high academic standard building a solid foundation to be a great business manager.

Atareta started playing netball from a young age and quickly realised it was her passion. Not only does she enjoy the competitive spirit that comes from playing, she also enjoys how the sport encourages teammates to bond with each other. Recently, Atareta would train at least twice a day four days a week, ranging across court, strength and conditioning sessions. She has participated at school, regional and national levels, including the Aotearoa Māori Secondary School championship, the Ikaroa ki te Raki Māori netball tournament and as a member of the 2020 Waikato / Bay of Plenty wider squad. Her biggest achievement to date has been representing her culture (Aotearoa Māori) in Sevens in 2019.



Atareta will be studying towards a Bachelor of Health, Sport and Human Performance majoring in Community Health. After she completes her studies, Atareta hopes to give back to her community and iwi through both her academic and sporting experiences.

Bella McDonald is in her third year of a Bachelor of Music, majoring in performance. Growing up on a cattle property in Queensland, Australia, Bella spent her childhood mustering cattle and riding horses, never expecting to travel overseas to the University of Waikato. At the age of ten, she decided to learn the cello, initially learning over the phone via Distance Education. After one year, Bella began Skype lessons, before starting boarding school in Brisbane at age twelve where she began studying in person with Christine Wang.



Bella never gets bored playing and enjoys sharing her musical experience with listeners, whether in a solo or orchestral performance. Most recently, Bella travelled to Germany and China with the Queensland Youth Symphony on their international tour, having previously been principal cellist of the second Queensland Youth Orchestra. She experienced the University of Waikato for the first time at the 2016 Waikato International Cello Festival and chose Waikato for James Tennant's expertise and wonderful teaching and playing.



In 2017, Bella received her AMEB Licentiate Diploma in Music and her Associate Diploma in Music with Distinction. In the same year she also successfully auditioned for the Australian Youth Orchestra and in 2016 won the inaugural Gold Coast Airport $5000 Artistic Development Grant. Bella was a year 12 prefect, music captain, and student council representative at Somerville House in Brisbane. Bella won the 2018 University of Waikato Concerto Competition, was a finalist in the 2018 UoW Chamber Competion, and made the semi-final (top 6) in the NZ National Concerto Competition. Bella won the 2019 UoW Chamber Competition alongside her piano trio playing Shostakovich and Farr, and was a finalist in the 2019 PACANZ National Young Performer Award competition, receiving 3rd prize. Recently, Isabella was accepted into the live round stage of the 2020 Schoenfeld International String Competition (Cello Division) - after recording the audition for a prescreening panel - which she will be attending in Harbin, China, in July 2021.

Former Lindisfarne College student and prefect Jack McGarvie has been involved in musical theatre for seven years. After joining his primary school choir and dance group, he became heavily involved in all aspects of musical theatre and continued his involvement throughout high school. Jack says the range of different characters, genres and music continues to amaze him, but what he enjoys most about musical theatre is the ability to connect with the audience and convey a message. Being able to connect with audiences comes with its challenges and Jack says combining dancing, singing and acting to become a triple threat performer is one of the harder aspects of musical theatre. Jack's biggest accomplishments to date include winning his school's House Rock competition, attaining his advanced diploma in performance speech and drama, and earning the roles of Banzai and Simba in the Lion King Jr. He one day hopes to perform on Broadway and to research genetic engineering. I completed a Bachelor of Science majoring in Biochemistry and have recently completed an MSc (Research) with first class honours.



I am now in the first semester of my PhD in biochemistry studying antibiotic design against antibiotic resistant strains focusing on Neisseria gonorrhoeae under Doctor Joanna Hicks looking into the alterative sulphur acquisition pathway in bacteria using N. gonorrhoeae as a model. I have recently become a part of the Senior leadership cohort of the Hillary Scholars and am looking to leadership opportunities for the rest of this year and 2022.

Jack, a graduate of Tauranga Boys' College, is a dedicated volleyball player who's committed to giving back. For the past six years, Jack has not only represented New Zealand on a world stage, but has also coached upcoming volleyball players in his short windows of free time. Jack attends the gym four times a week to increase his strength, works on his volleyball skills twice a week and attends tournaments each weekend. He's competed in various competitions including the NZSS Volleyball Championships, NZSS Super Eight Competition, Inter-Provincial Championships, National Club Championships, U21 Asian Beach Volleyball Championships, U19 Beach Volleyball World Championships, Australian Volleyball Schools Cup, USA High Performance Volleyball Championships and the California Beach Volleyball Association Tour. His most recent achievement was joining the National Under 20 Indoor Volleyball team in 2020 and receiving a gold medal at the NZSS Volleyball Championships in 2019.



Jack is not only a disciplined player, but also a disciplined student. He was the head prefect, lead in the school production and a Public Speaking Super Eight champion. His future aspiration after he finishes his studies is to find a job in mergers and acquisitions while playing volleyball in the New Zealand Volleyball League.

Cole is currently studying towards a bachelors degree in Sport and Leisure Studies in his first year, targeting the eventual career of a Performance Sport Nutritionist. In 2015, Cole was selected as one of two athletes to represent New Zealand in the Junior Elite Men class at the 2015 UCI BMX World Championships in Zolder, Belgium. This selection came off the back of impressive performances at multiple UCI international races in Australia and New Zealand, and a good performance in terrible weather at the 2015 Oceania Continental Championships in Brisbane. Along with the World Championships team selection, Cole was also selected into the High Performance Sport Development Program - Pathway To Podium. In 2019 Cole enters his fourth year in the Elite Men division, he wants to continue to improve on the international race circuit this year and work toward qualifying for the Tokyo Olympic Games. His future goals within sport are to be selected into the New Zealand High Performance team, and the main goal is to represent New Zealand at the 2020 and 2024 Olympic Games. He attended Hamilton Boys' High School from 2011 to 2015. Alongside sport and study, Cole also is very involved in mentoring young BMX athletes, as he works as a mentor for the Waikato Junior Development Squad. He also volunteers coaching the young riders at Te Awamutu BMX Club weekly, and has a number of athletes who he privately coaches.

Charli has not only travelled internationally to represent New Zealand in Cross Country Championships, but has also set records while racing. Her biggest achievement to date was setting Oceania records when she competed in the Oceania 2000m steeplechase and 1500m, which also was the first time she represented New Zealand. Charli's appreciation for her sport comes from how physically demanding it can be. To her, there is nothing better than completing a workout and hitting times she thought she wasn't able to. Charli trains six days a week, typically spending time on her running technique but also incorporating swimming and cycling elements to help prevent injury when racing in the occasional triathlon. Charli finds the most important part of her training discipline is her mental health. She finds that even if she's in her best shape, if there is even the slightest note of self-doubt, it can impact her in a big way and creates obstacles for her while training or in competition.



While a student at St Peter's in Cambridge, she was a Sports Prefect and Cross Country captain. These roles gave her the opportunity to give back to her community and help create a positive and inclusive sport culture that all students benefited from. Charli chose to study at the University of Waikato because of its sense of community. She was inspired by the University's motto ‘Ko Te Tangata'. After she completes her Bachelor of Teaching in Primary Education, Charli hopes to become a primary school teacher where she can continue creating positive and uplifting environments so her future students can feel safe and comfortable while they learn. She also aspires to be one of the top female middle distance runners in New Zealand and compete for the country internationally.

Sarah Miller has won 13 national medals for swimming over the past two years across short course, long course and open water competitions.

A self-described water baby she was first enrolled in swim club when she was eight, and now swims mainly long-distance freestyle, individual medley and butterfly. She also competes in lake, ocean and open water events across distances between 1km and up to 10km.

Sarah will start a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Environmental Science at the University of Waikato this year, alongside continuing her swimming which includes seven or eight two-hour pool sessions each week, three gym session and one yoga session.

Along with competing nationally and winning numerous medals, Sarah says her greatest achievements include being selected into the Swimming New Zealand Distance camp squad in 2019, breaking two Waikato records in the 400 freestyle and 800 freestyle in 2018 and 2019 and being selected to represent New Zealand at Australian State Team Championship.

"Getting the opportunity to compete while wearing the silver fern with New Zealand's best age groups swimmers and coaches was amazing," says Sarah.

She says the most challenging thing about swimming is the early morning wake ups for a 5:30am start in the pool but she says it is all made worth it when she arrives and sees her teammates.

Sarah was a St Paul's Collegiate Swim Club captain, a learn to swim coach and has earned a Kiwisport Leadership Award through volunteering in a variety of different settings.

"The focus of my volunteer work has been to promote healthy and active communities. I have also helped at events such as Weetbix Tryathlon, netball games and timekeeping at swim meets," says Sarah.

Sarah wants to have a career that positively impacts the environment by helping to restore and maintain it for future generations to come. Her aspiration for swimming is to represent New Zealand on the world stage at an open age group event

Ruby has been involved in dance for over 11 years. She began at the age of five at her church group, quickly realising her passion. Since then she's received many awards including the DanceNZMade Regional Solo winner, and National nominee in 2020, the Neil leremia trophy for excellence in choreography in 2020, the Senior Māori Leadership Award 2020 and the Judith Miles Drama Cup for Outstanding Drama Performance 2020 in her dancing discipline.



As a student at Hamilton Girls' High School, Ruby was awarded Top Māori Academic 2020, Senior Māori Leadership 2020, Principal's Award for Māori Excellence 2020 and the Rosemary Weatherhog Trophy for Head Girl 2020. On top of her schooling and dancing careers she taught her own junior dance class, passing on her love of dance to the next generation. This year Ruby will be studying a Bachelor of Teaching with hopes of becoming a primary school teacher and fostering creativity through education.

Fletcher Moles plans to pursue a Bachelor of Law at the University of Waikato while working towards his other goal of one day representing New Zealand at the Olympics in canoe racing.

The former New Plymouth Boys' High School student, who was head of sport, has been active in surf lifesaving since he was six and started canoe racing after trying to improve his technique for surf ski events.

"I joined the Waitara Kayak Club for extra coaching and here I discovered a real passion for paddling both on the flat water and in the ocean swell," says Fletcher.

He says surf lifesaving has taught him resilience and thinking on his feet in tough conditions and he enjoys the hard work that surrounds canoe racing and the opportunities it has given him.

Along with regularly competing in national surf lifesaving events Fletcher has also travelled extensively with both surf lifesaving and canoe racing. He attended the 2018 Asia Pacific Cup Canoe Racing Regatta, in Adelaide, Australia and the 2019 Asia Pacific Cup Canoe Racing Regatta at Karapiro, New Zealand. Fletcher also travelled to the 2019 Canoe Racing U18 Junior World Championship in Pitesti, Romania and then 2019 Surf Lifesaving Youth International Challenge in Durban, South Africa.

Fletcher has amassed a large collection of awards but says among his biggest achievements are making the New Zealand Junior Canoe Racing International team in 2018, for the Asia Pacific regatta where they won gold in the under 19, 4 x 200m relay and he won silver in the K1, 1000. He also won the under 19, 10km kayak champs in 2019. Fletcher also competed in the NZ Canoe Racing Nationals in 2019 winning silver in the K1 1000, Bronze in the K1, 200 and Bronze in the K2, 200. At the NZ Surf Lifesaving Nationals in 2019 he won bronze in the double ski, silver ski and gold in the ski relay.

"Attending the University of Waikato enables me to continue to pursue my competitive goals within canoe racing and surf lifesaving while also allowing me to attain a quality education in my chosen study," Fletcher says.

Timothy is in his fourth year of a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours), majoring in civil engineering. The former Hamilton Boys' High School deputy head boy began playing hockey since age four, with encouragement from family and friends. He enjoys being constantly challenged by the sport, and learning new skills.



Timothy has been involved with several national competitions, and has won three national titles. He was selected for the New Zealand U19 Junior Blacksticks from 2016-2018, and represented in the Japan Series U19. Timothy was a member of the New Zealand Under 21 team that travelled to Malaysia for the Sultan of Johor Cup (2018-2020) and in 2020 was selected into the Vantage Blacksticks Mens Development Squad. In 2021, Timothy was selected in the North vs South Blacksticks series which served as a Tokyo Olympics trial event.



Timothy prepares for competitions with a strict weekly training schedule, consisting of both fitness and gameplay. He says the most challenging part of hockey is the unpredictability of both the opposition and the nature of the sport, but that's what keeps it interesting for him. Timothy is aiming to become a qualified engineer and represent New Zealand at the Olympic Games one day.

After watching the 2008 Olympic triathlon, Josiah Ney decided to give the sport a try. Now with ten years of triathlon experience under his belt, he's a Pathway to Podium triathlete with a long list of national and international achievements. The former Gisborne Boys' High prefect won the 2017 New Zealand Secondary Schools national duathlon and placed third in both the Age Group World Championships and the New Zealand Secondary Schools' triathlon last year. He enjoys the variety of training for three different sports simultaneously but works hard to balance his performance in each discipline. Josiah was a race ambassador for the Weetbix Tryathlon in 2017 and enjoys giving back to the sport. Josiah aspires to forge a career in sports medicine, and is studying a Bachelor of Health, Sport and Human Performance at Waikato.

Nathan started playing cricket when he was four years old. His appreciation for cricket has grown since then because of the strategy needed to win, and the unpredictability of each game. Recently, Nathan has been involved in the national men's U19 tournament, the Northern Districts Men's T20 Brian Dunning tournament and the Fergus Hickey Rosebowl. His biggest accomplishments to date have been being selected to join the Northern Districts (ND) U19 and the ND Men's A team. Nathan focuses his time on his bowling, training on average three times a week. After he completes his Business degree at the University of Waikato, Nathan aspires to become a professional cricketer.

Claudia Paterson is in her fourth year of a Bachelor of Laws with Honours and a double major in Political Science. She first became involved in kayaking through multisport racing, and quickly became hooked on the exhilaration and adrenaline of the sport. Claudia has been doing canoe slalom for seven years, and competes in both K1 (kayak) and C1 (canoe) events.



Claudia has had significant national and international success, qualifying for the semi-finals 2017 Junior World Championships in Slovakia. She came third in the U23 age group at the 2018 New Zealand Nationals and won the Under 18 age group at the Oceania Canoe Slalom Championships.



Claudia has also been involved with the Tauranga City Council Youth Advisory Group, the Pinnacle Programme, and Duke of Edinburgh Programme. She also competes in surf lifesaving and participates in speech and drama. Claudia has volunteered with IHC for over four years and recently worked as a support worker over the summer.



She is passionate about supporting those with disabilities and hopes to use her law degree to advocate for vulnerable groups of people.

Kendra Peart-Anderson has been playing hockey since she was five, kept interested by the speed of the game and the skills required. The former school house-captain from Eureka played defence in the National Hockey League for Midlands and played for Hillcrest High at the National Secondary Schools Federation Cup. She also captained the Midland's U18 team at their national tournament, was awarded Most Valuable Player and selected for the New Zealand U18 hockey camp. A talented all-rounder, Kendra has also competed in equestrian events, winning several national titles at Horse of the Year. She's studying for a Bachelor of Engineering at Waikato, and hopes to play for the Black Sticks one day.

Clarinet, violin, recorder, saxophone – you name it, Stefenie Lin-Yi Pickston plays it. The talented musician chose the University of Waikato for its high-quality music programme, and she's combining her passions of music and technology with a conjoint Music and Computer Science degree. Clarinet is her number one love though, and she's been playing for more than a decade. During this time, she has won multiple regional and national titles, including the KBB Award at the New Zealand Chamber Music contest playing in the group Trio Serendip, and gold in the Auckland Jazz and Blues Competition. She has already passed her Diploma of the Associated Board of Royal Schools of Music with Distinction and earned an internship in the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra. Stefenie was named Lynfield College's 2018 Dux Artium (Arts Dux) and Year 13 Musician of the Year.

Benjamin Pomare hopes to one day become a Blackcap and then give back to the sport he loves through becoming a coach or teacher.

The former Tauranga Boy's College student will study Health, Sport and Human Performance, majoring in Human Performance Science at the University of Waikato this year, while continuing his passion for cricket in the Northern District region.

Since starting the game as a five-year-old, he has attended the Under 19 Cricket World Cup, held this year in South Africa, attended the National Under 19 tournaments, been part of the Provincial A T20 tournament and made the New Zealand Under 19, Northern Districts A team. Benjamin was also his school's 1st 11, captain.

He says his biggest achievement to date was debuting for the New Zealand Under 19 team against Australia Under 19. Outside of cricket Benjamin was a house leader and part of a Bay of Plenty Men's leadership group.

He says he really enjoys the tactical side of cricket.

"There's not many sports that always require tactical thinking. In cricket you have to do that for the entire game."

Benjamin, who is a wicketkeeper and batsman, trains for up to 15 hours each week focussing on strength, conditioning and skills.

Pounamu grew up surrounded by music. From a young age he and his siblings, all fellow musicians, found a passion in singing and playing instruments. But the former Rotorua Boys' High student didn't pursue music as a career until he was 14. As a singer and composer, Pounamu finds enjoyment in being able to express his emotions to those around him through his music. He finds that music is something everyone can listen to and understand, no matter their native tongue.



Recently, Pounamu has been awarded first place at the 2020 regional Smokefree Tangata Beats and second place in the national Smokefree Tangata Beats competitions, first place at the 2020 Smokefree Rockquest Regionals, second equal at the 2020 Group Song Te Manu Tito Waiata Songwriting Competition, named the 2020 Rotorua Boys High School Senior Vocal Champion and awarded first in Music. Pounamu's future aspirations are for his music to reach the world. He believes that music is one of the best ways to inspire positive change in our current society and wants to share his messages to those far and wide.

Te Rama has been playing rugby since he was three years old. Since then, he has accomplished a lot in his rugby career, including being a member of the Chiefs U16 and U18 teams, the Māori Sevens team and New Zealand's Rugby Secondary Schools team. The contact, the team camaraderie and the pressure within the sport is what drives Te Rama's motivation to one day become an All Black.



Te Rama is studying a Bachelor of Management Studies with Honours, majoring in Strategic Management with minors in Human Performance Science and Māori and Indigenous Studies.

Captaining the New Zealand Secondary School Barbarians rugby team has been the highlight of Hakaraia Richards-Coxhead's rugby career to date.

The former Hamilton Boys' High School student, originally from Rotorua, followed his brother into the sport. Hakaraia was head prefect at Hamilton Boys' High School and will study a Bachelor of Law at the University of Waikato. He hopes to become a lawyer and eventually a judge.

Hakaraia made the Waikato Chiefs Under 17 Camp in 2018 and the Under 18 Camp in 2019, where he was in Liam Messam's team to play the Crusaders' equivalent side.

The former captain of the Hamilton Boys' High School 1st XV plays as a prop and was a member of the team which won the Super 8 Championship twice and the National Under 15 tournament in 2016 and 2017.

Hakaraia says his biggest achievement was captaining the New Zealand Barbarians secondary school team. He enjoys the physical and mental challenges of rugby and trains at the gym four to five times a week, in between club trainings and skills sessions.

He says the biggest challenge is backing up the physicality of trainings and games every week, while keeping a healthy body.

After dancing for more than 20 years dance is more than a hobby for Courtney, it is a lifestyle. For this reason she chose Waikato University as it allows her to continue to grow her passion for dance as well as nurture her academic ventures. She has completed NZAMD examinations to advanced levels in Contemporary and Jazz as well as RAD Ballet, with continued excellent results. In 2015 she was co- Arts Captain at Paraparaumu College, was awarded the Paraparaumu College trophy for Performing Arts Person of the Year alongside her co- Arts Captain, as well as receiving a Sir Edmund Hillary Scholarship in dance. Courtney has also been teaching dance regularly for the last 6 years teaching contemporary, jazz and junior ballet classes. Teaching and facilitating of dance has quickly become Courtney's passion while studying at University. Courtney completed a Bachelor of Arts in 2018 with a focus on english, theatre and dance with a special interest in Community Dance practices. Now in 2020 Courtney has come back as a Senior Leader Scholar to complete her Master of Art's looking at the leadership, pedagogy and facilitation of Integrated Dance. Courtney plans to use this study to engage in this field of work in the Hamilton community.

Georgia Robcke started playing squash because her dad was always at the local courts playing.

Five years on from picking up her first racquet, the sport has seen her travel as far as India after she made the Junior World Girls' team, representing New Zealand in 2018. She also made the World Junior Champs in 2017 and 2019 and won the Under 17 New Zealand Junior Girls title in 2017.

"I started playing squash due to my dad being down at the club all the time. I enjoy the training aspect of squash and love hitting with my coach and other players on a regular basis. As well as meeting new people through the sport," says Georgia.

Making both the 2018 and 2019 World Junior Girls' team have been her biggest achievements to date, she says.

Georgia will start a Bachelor of Law at the University of Waikato this year and hopes to balance her studies with continuing to play squash regularly and advance further in the sport.

She says she was attracted to the university because of the friendly environment of the law faculty.

The former Thames High School student, who was on her school's student council, and won the Hauraki Sportswoman of the year, hopes to eventually specialise in environmental law.

"I think one of the biggest challenges will be balancing schoolwork with training and having a social life," says Georgia.

Leeim is in his third year of a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Screen and Media Studies and Theatre Studies. He first became involved in theatre in intermediate, when his teacher encouraged him to audition for the school production. After scoring a lead role in the Hercules production, Leeim's passion for theatre has grown ever since.



From playing the suave Link Larkin in Hairspray, to some of Shakespeare's most flamboyant and earnest characters such as Ariel and Hamlet, Leeim has an extensive and versatile repertoire in theatre. He loves the feeling of being on stage and feels energy and confidence from standing in front of an audience. Leeim travelled to London as a member of the SGCNZ Young Shakespeare Company in 2018 to produce and perform The Winter's Tale on the Globe stage.



Leeim finds joy and achievement when he creates theatre and film that empower and bring visibility to the LGBT community, and other such social groups. Having already produced a small drag show with WSU on Open Day 2019, he looks forward to growing the platform for LGBT performing arts on campus and eventually in the rest of the region further.

Sian has been dancing since she was four years old, and has been at her current studio for the past 11 years. She enjoys dancing for its performance factor, but more importantly for the team she now calls a family. While she attended Gisborne Girls' High School, she was a member of the arts council, a class representative and part of her school's rhythmical team for over three years. Outside of school, Sian participated at Performing Arts Competitions Association of New Zealand in 2018 and 2019, qualifying for finals in 2018.



One of her biggest achievements throughout her dancing career was being selected by teachers from around the world to dance alongside them and perform to an audience. After Sian graduates with a Bachelor in Primary Teaching, she aspires to actively involve the performing arts, specifically dance, in her teaching career so children can experience the arts and grow a passion for it, just as she did.

Halle has been heavily involved with hockey ever since she was six. Her love for hockey grew through building connections with her teammates and coaches, as well as being able to mentor younger players. She expects to train a minimum of four days a week, on top of her hockey games in the upcoming 2021 season. Previously, Halle has competed in the National Secondary Schools Tournament (Federation Cup), the Regional Māori Tournament and in the Midlands U18 National Tournament. Her biggest accomplishments in her sport include being selected for the Women's U18 NZ Training Squad and coaching a primary school hockey team that won the division.



Halle will be joining the University of Waikato to study a Bachelor of Health, Sport and Human Performance, majoring in Human Performance with a minor in Māori and Indigenous studies. She aspires to help and assist athletes with their wellbeing and sports careers and intends to incorporate her learnings from her minor in Māori language into her teaching. Halle is excited to begin her studies with us because of the opportunities and resources we offer, which will assist in completing both her academic and sporting ambitions.

Nicole Shields is in her third year of a Bachelor of Business, majoring in finance and marketing. The former Dunstan High School student has been cycling since she was nine, but only started competing seriously five years ago. She enjoys the constant pursuit to improve and the rewards of seeing hard work pay off.



Nicole has competed in several local, national and international events, including the Junior Track World Championships in 2016 and 2017. In 2017, Nicole came second in the team pursuit, breaking the world record, as well as placing fourth in the individual pursuit. She made her elite debut for New Zealand at the Oceania Track Champs in 2018. Since then, she has competed in two world cups, winning the team pursuit in Hong Kong and coming second in the Madison at the end of 2019. In addition to cycling, Nicole played representative netball and basketball until 2016, as well as competing in adventure racing.



In the future, Nicole aspires to be selected for the 2022 Commonwealth Games and 2024 Olympics. She would also like to "tick off some funny long distance adventures", and hopes to grow her own business one day.

David is in his second year of studying for a Master of Arts, in English. David began acting in 2014, whilst studying at Mount Maunganui College. During his time there, David was named 'Performing Arts Male of the Year' on two separate occasions, and to date, is the only student to receive the honour twice. For his contribution to the arts at Mount Maunganui College, David received 20 awards during his time at the school. In his final year, he was named Deputy Head Boy for Performing Arts. David was selected as a member of Shakespeare's Globe Centre New Zealand's Young Shakespeare company, after winning 'Best Performer' in the Western Bay of Plenty regional festival, and his performance at the National festival in Wellington. David travelled to London in 2016 and performed The Taming of the Shrew at the Globe Theatre, an achievement he will never forget. Whilst here at the University of Waikato, David has been involved with Carving In Ice Theatre Company, performing in Caress/Ache in 2017, and Just to Get Married, The Chapel Perilous, and Today's Bay in 2018, and Pinter Shorts, and Riding in Cars with (Mostly Straight) Boys in 2019, and did technical work for Hush in 2020, and Escaped Alone in 2021. He has served as a class representative 11 times, the President of the Bryant Hall Resident's Association, as well as a Residential Assistant and Senior Residential Assistant at Bryant Hall. David also served as the Student speaker for the Arts, Laws and Social Sciences graduation ceremony of 2019. In 2020, along with other scholars, helped to organize the Trek to Nepal, a fundraising initiative to help Nepal with COVID-19 relief. After completing his Master's, David intends to earn his PhD, with the hope of becoming a University Lecturer.

Liam Singer started karate aged seven, wanting to join his friends who were involved with the sport. The former Hamilton Boys High Academic Honours student kept up his karate when friends pursued other interests, and he has been mastering the discipline for over 11 years now. He's enjoyed national and international success, winning his division the 2018 Oceania Karate Championships and placing second at the national championships. Studying for a Bachelor of Engineering, Liam hopes to become a civil engineer one day. When he's not studying, he's putting in the hard yards to win a gold at either the 2024 or 2028 Olympics.

Invercargill-born Ella Smith began playing badminton seven years ago, after her tennis coach suggested she give it a try. She soon fell in love with the mental and physical challenges of the sport, and never looked back. During the competitive season, Ella trains for two hours every day and fits in a few gym sessions each week. Her efforts took her to the 2017 and 2018 World Badminton Junior Championships. She was also named in the New Zealand Senior Squad last year. A sporting all-rounder, she has also represented Southland in not only badminton but also in volleyball and tennis. She aspires to represent New Zealand in the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Ngarangikamaea Stewart has been involved with kapa haka since 2015 and loves the sense of whānau that comes with performance. She joined Tauiramaitawhiti, a senior kapa haka group of her iwi when she was 16 and has been with them ever since. Ngarangikamaea has competed in a host of kapa haka events, including secondary school, regional senior kapa haka and national senior kapa haka competitions. Her cultural ties go beyond the art form, in 2018 she travelled to Italy, and in 2019 she returned to Italy, however, she also journeyed to Turkey and Egypt as well, to follow in the footsteps of the Māori Battalion, and ANZACs. Ngarangikamaea's leadership qualities landed her the Head Girl position at Ōpōtiki College. In 2019, Ngarangi was diagnosed with an autoimmune condition called 'Systemic Lupus Erythematosus'. It is a condition where the antibodies in her body attack all of her healthy tissues, as well as causing inflammation from time to time in all areas of her body including the respiratory system, muscles, and organs. However, she still seeks to stay involved in her performing arts, education and culture.

Although Tuteari has only been involved in weightlifting for two years, he has received a multitude of awards. In his first year of weightlifting, he achieved ten titles in his weight class, including first in the NZ Secondary School Championship, first in the Youth Men's North Island Championships and first in the Junior Men's Nationals. In 2020, Tuteari was awarded first in his weight class for Junior Men's Nationals and second for Senior Men's Nationals. Tuteari trains over two hours each day, with lifting and regular gym sessions.



At Gisborne Boys' High School, Tuteari was a Head Prefect, in the rugby First XV, the kā«-o-rahi (ball sport that combines netball, handball and tag rugby) team, waka ama (canoeing), mau rākau (Māori martial arts) and kapa haka. After Tuteari completes his degree in Human Performance Science and Māori and Indigenous Studies, he aspires to attend the Olympics for weightlifting.

Caleb Te rire found his passion for acting as an eight-year-old when his acting teacher at the time told him he was good at it.

The former Tarawera High School head boy will start Theatre Studies at the University of Waikato this year as he works towards fulfilling his dream of making it to the big screen in Hollywood movies.

Caleb, who comes from Kawerau, has performed with the local performing arts academy through his high school life and says he loves performing on stage and using different styles of acting and different plays to challenge himself.

Highlights of his stage career to date include performing in his performing arts academy play called One Night in Broadway, which incorporated scenes from many of the Broadway classics including Chicago and Les Misérables.

He also counts being chosen as head boy at Tarawera High School and being endorsed with merit for all three of his NCEA levels as recent successes.

Alongside acting, Caleb has also been playing rugby since he was eight and says his main goal is to use his acting career to give back to his community and whanau.

James is in his final year of a Bachelor of Business, double majoring in Economics and Marketing. He was the head of Broadhurst boarding house and a school prefect at St Peter's School Cambridge and also has a passion for Rugby.



James was selected for the New Zealand Under 18 Barbarians team and the captain of the Chiefs Under 18 in 2017. 2018 saw James gain a spot in the Chiefs U20's and a NZ U20's trial for 2019, later being called over to both Australia and Argentina as a replacement player. In the second half of 2019, he went on to debut and play two games for the Waikato NPC team. After bring called in as a replacement player for the Chiefs in the 2020 Pre-season he went onto play another 11 games for Waikato in 2020.

Cheyenne Walmsley is studying a Bachelor of Science, majoring in ecology and biodiversity. She has always had a passion for capturing beautiful things that often go unnoticed through photography and film. The former Mercury Bay Area School student enjoys exploring film's potential to express important issues in society, and communicate these to a large audience.



Cheyenne's talents have taken her places she never expected to go: onstage at music festivals, into artists' studios, stunning bush landscapes in the wilderness, and remote beaches at sunrise. For Cheyenne, the real beauty of film-making is presenting audiences with an idea and making them see it in a different way.



In addition to film-making, Cheyenne has also been involved with her school leadership team and Board of Trustees. She has been involved with the Coromandel Film Collective and written articles for local papers, reporting on environmental issues.



Cheyenne's dream is to create short films and feature films to engage large audiences with societal issues and contribute to a more equitable society. She hopes her degree will help her to understand the science behind environmental issues so that she can communicate them through film.

Manaia has always aspired to be a student at the University of Waikato because of its diversity and recognition of tauira Māori, as well as continuing her family's legacy within the University community. Family is a big part of Manaia's life, and she was immersed in kapa haka through her parents and whānau from a young age. Throughout her schooling at Rotorua Intermediate and Rotorua Girls' High, Manaia competed in both regional and national kapa haka competitions. Her school was the first to ever win two consecutive national titles.



Manaia is the Chairperson of The Moko Foundation National Youth Board, a member of Te Taumata o Rehu Ariki (Rotorua Māori Youth Council), was a Rotorua Girls' High School prefect and house captain and much more. She was a finalist for the One Chance Youth Award Cultural Leader of the Year and was Rotorua's Energy Event Charitable Trust Young Achiever for Leadership, Academic, Performing Arts and Cultural Recognition. After Manaia completes her degree in Business, majoring in Marketing with a minor in Māori and Indigenous Studies, she aspires to win a Te Matatini campaign while creating a business that will showcase kapa haka on a global scale.

Melissa was a Performing Arts Prefect while a student at St Mary's College in Ponsonby. She also took part in the Auckland Youth Theatre Company (AYTC). AYTC gave Melissa an opportunity to experience all aspects of theatre. During her time with AYTC she was given the opportunity to analyse a play followed by a backstage tour. She was also asked to perform a variety of screen tests that encompassed different acting styles.



While she attended St Mary's College she was also a junior netball coach, part of the school orchestra and a Performing Arts Prefect. Melissa decided to join the University of Waikato for its art programme and teaching courses. She is studying a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Theatre Studies with a minor in Māori language. Melissa's aspiration after getting her degree is to become a secondary school teacher, and involve herself in the performing arts outside of her work.

Growing up watching the All Blacks play on a Saturday night, Te Aonui Wharawhara-Muriwai knew he always wanted to play rugby.

Since then the former Hamilton Boys' High School student has gathered an impressive collection of rugby and touch rugby accolades. They include taking out the Super 8 secondary school competition, making the Waikato Chiefs Under 18 development squad and captaining his high school's premier touch rugby team that won the national championships twice.

Te Aonui also made the Waikato Under 21 Men's Touch Team, who are national champions, and he is part of the Touch New Zealand, Player Pathways Academy.



Studying Business Strategic and Te Reo Maori at the University of Waikato, alongside becoming a professional sportsperson, Te Aonui says he hopes to one day start his own business or work in the business sector.

Te Aonui says he loves the brotherhood and friendships created through playing rugby and the idea of setting a common goal and working hard together to achieve it.

Outside of rugby Te Aonui achieved NCEA levels 1, 2 and 3 with merit and has been part of Te Maurea Whiritoi, the Hamilton Boys' and Girls' Kapa Haka group who were fifth in the national competition. Te Aonui was a youth mentor and has also completed the Matarua, Mau Rakau, and Tikanga course.

Evan aspires to travel the world, competing in the sport that he loves, rowing. Now in his sixth season, Evan has participated in numerous national competitions, including the Maadi Cup National Championship and the New Zealand Club Nationals. He started off his rowing career by winning the U16 Singles at the Maadi Cup in 2018, quickly followed by winning first in the U19 Doubles and third in the U20 Premier Singles at the New Zealand Club Nationals. He's also competed in competitions including the North Island Secondary School Championships, the North Island Club Championships, the Queensland State Championships and the U18 North vs South Regatta. At the 2021 North Island Club Championships Evan won gold in the Men's Senior double sculls, silver in the Men's Senior single sculls and placed bronze in the Men's Premier Quadruple sculls. This was followed by 2021 Rocket Foods National Club Champs where Evan won gold in the Men's Senior double sculls and Men's Senior Quadruple scull



Evan has proven that you can be dedicated to both school and sport. While at Takapuna Grammar School, he was a member of the Resilience and Protection Peer Team, Sports Council, Head of House, 2020 prefect, and member of the Support programme and Sports Academy. Evan will be joining the University of Waikato community in 2021 to study a Bachelor of Health, Sport and Human Performance, majoring in Exercise Science.

Representing New Zealand on the international stage in dressage is the long-term goal of Anna Wilson, along with becoming an educational psychologist.

The former Waikato Diocesan student will start her Bachelor of Science majoring in Psychology this year and says studying at the University of Waikato will allow her to work on her studies while keeping up her riding.

Over the last 11 years she has competed at events including Horse of the Year, New Zealand Pony Club Association Dressage Champs, Under 25 Dressage Champs and Equidays. She says the highlights have been winning the Reserve Level 3 Pony Class Champion at Horse of the Year and the Under 25 Champs in 2017. She was also named in the New Zealand Pony Club Association, Waikato dressage team in 2016 and 2017.

Anna was captain of her school equestrian team and on the academic council. She is a qualified pony club coach and coaches at her local club and a riding school, while also running a tutoring business in her local community.

Anna says she loves being around horses and getting to know their personalities and quirks and she loves how horses always teach you something about yourself.

She trains five days a week and competes at least twice a month.

Anna says the biggest challenge is how hard it is to get the basics right.

"Trying to get both your own body and your horse to do what you want whilst trying to improve yourself and the horse is a real challenge," says Anna.

Playing canoe polo with her mum led Jaimee Wilson into the sport of canoe slalom which has seen her compete around the world.

The former Taradale High School student has competed in the Oceania Championships, Krakow Mayor Cup, Flattach European Cup and Augsburg European Cup over the past five years.

She says travelling to Europe to race has been the highlight of her sporting achievements to date, visiting Germany, Austria and Poland. Jaimee trains six days a week for around 12 hours in total, out in her kayak and at the gym.

Jaimee says one of the most challenging things about canoe slalom is trying to remember every aspect of a course and a river and being able to visualise kayaking it before she races.

"I love the sport because there is always a new way to challenge myself and the adrenaline of paddling in white water makes everything about it fun," says Jaimee.

At Taradale High School she was the sport prefect and co-captain of the 1st XI girls' hockey team. She also spent time coaching junior canoe slalom athletes for Hawkes Bay Canoe Club.

Jaimee will study a Bachelor of Environmental Planning and hopes to eventually work with councils in the area of resource sustainability. She also hopes to make the senior canoe slalom team and compete at world cup and world championship events.

After seeing her sister and dad enjoy the sport, Ally Wollaston decided to give cycling a go. The former St Peter's School Cambridge academic prefect enjoys the sense of achievement, whether it be from breaking records or beating personal bests. In 2018 Ally earned five national titles and a silver medal at the World Junior Championships. Recently Ally competed in the Elite Tissot Track World Cup in Cambridge where her development squad reached the bronze medal final and finished fourth overall. Ally is studying for a Bachelor of Laws. She chose to study at the University of Waikato for its Student-Athlete Support Hub, which fosters an environment for sporting and academic success.