Student scoops national award
Merlyn Barrer wasn’t sure whether to take earth and marine science as one of his NCEA subjects. Now the outgoing Nayland College student has been named the country’s highest performer in the subject last year.
Barrer recently became one of 58 students across New Zealand who won an Outstanding Scholar Award as part of the NZQA’s annual New Zealand Scholarship Awards.
The 18-year-old was ‘‘also quite surprised’’ to learn that he had scooped the top subject award in earth and marine science – or ‘‘Earth and Space Science’’ as the NZQA calls it.
‘‘There were always more subjects that I wanted to take than I could fit in my timetables. I’m definitely glad I decided on it,’’ he said.
Barrer’s results in the four scholarship exams he took in 2019 – chemistry, calculus, physics, and earth and space science – earned him the outstanding scholar accolade.
He understood it was given to the top 0.3 per cent of people who took the exams. ‘‘It’s a lot more than I could have hoped for. I was super happy with it.’’
Barrer will now study engineering at Canterbury University.
More than 9800 students sat the 2019 scholarship examinations, and 2138 were awarded one or more scholarships across the 35 subjects, with those going on to fulltime tertiary study in New Zealand offered financial rewards.
The three-hour earth and space science test included working out how the magnetic field of one of Saturn’s moons was different to that of Earth’s Moon.
Conversely, Barrer said he enjoyed the ‘‘down to earth’’ nature of the subject.
‘‘You’re talking about things that we interact with and see every day . . . like the weather, and the oceans. In chemistry and physics, you’re talking about more abstract things.’’
He said ‘‘lots of practice’’ had helped him with his scholarship achievement.
He also credited Nayland College’s earth and marine science teacher (and his form teacher) Graeme Bloomfield, and the school’s accelerant programme, which meant he was able to take calculus and chemistry a year early.
Barrer said he was undecided about which discipline of engineering he would go into. ‘‘I’m trying to keep my options open and see what I find interesting.’’