Speech
International Baccalaureate Schools Top Scholar Awards
Rau rangatira mā, e hine mā, e tama mā; e kui mā, e koro mā tēnei aku mihi māhana ki a koutou. Nau mai haere mai rā ki Te Whare Kawana o Tamaki Makaurau. Distinguished guests, young women, young men, ladies and gentlemen, warm greetings to you all. Welcome to Government House.
I want to specifically acknowledge: Peter Clague, Chair of the New Zealand International Baccalaureate Heads Caucus; and Steven Caunce, Marketing Manager at FujiXerox - tēnā korua.
Janine and I are pleased to welcome you all to Government House for the 2014 International Baccalaureate (or IB) Top Scholars’ Awards. This is the third time Janine and I have hosted these awards. We are delighted to host awards ceremonies like these, which recognise and celebrate the achievements of our young people.
This event represents three things that are especially important to us: our young people, excellence and the sense of community. The International Baccalaureate academic curriculum encapsulates these three things, and so I will start my comments with observations about the IB programme.
Despite our geographical remoteness, New Zealand is part of a very connected world. New Zealanders are global citizens for whom an international perspective is important in understanding our world, its events and the people around us. The International Baccalaureate programme provides a foundation for connectedness - developing knowledgeable, inquiring and caring young people who are in-tune with helping to create better futures for themselves and perhaps the world.
As an internationally recognised qualification the “IB” programme, and these Top Scholars Awards, provide a benchmark of the calibre of young New Zealanders. We know that our nation’s education is world class, modern and responsive. There are many indicators that confirm that reality. For example, in the OECD’s 2013 Better Life index , New-Zealand is a top-performing country, in terms of the quality of its educational system. Also the London-based think tank, The Legatum Institute, rates New Zealand No.1 in the world for education in its 2013 Prosperity Index survey of 142 countries .
A telling marker of education excellence is the proportion of top IB scholars in New Zealand, compared to the proportion of top scholars in other countries. As you will be aware, to achieve the title of an IB Top Scholar, graduates must achieve a score of 40 points or better out of a possible 45. It is a feat achieved by only 6% of the world’s IB students.
Recently released results for 2013 for the IB Diploma show that 74 of the 451 students who finished the two-year course in New Zealand scored 40 or better. At a little over 16 per cent, this is almost three times the world average. Impressively, eight New Zealand students achieved a perfect score of 45. Those eight students are placed in the top 0.2% of candidates worldwide. I believe that this is the first time such a large group has achieved this result in New Zealand.
On that note, I want to congratulate the schools represented here today. Offering the International Baccalaureate programmes as an alternative educational course is an audaciously progressive thing to do. All of you, the leadership and the communities in your schools, can be proud of your respective achievements – represented today by these Top Scholars, and the foundation of excellence you have provided for them.
I now want to mention the young people we celebrate today, and the notion of excellence. Each of you is here because of your diligence and determination to be the best you can be. That resolve is a character trait that will serve you well in your future studies and careers. In striving to excel, each of you has provided a springboard for your future.
Sir Gordon Tietjens, the coach of the All Blacks Sevens team which has won eleven of the fourteen IRB Sevens World Series events, knows a thing or two about hard work and succeeding. He said, “Good preparation equals a good chance of success,” and he is absolutely right.
Most, if not all of you, will go on to university. Given your achievements to date, it is almost certain that you will all be high achievers in whatever you choose to study. What you have done by working hard throughout your school years, and in the IB programme, is invest in your future; a future that is full of opportunity and full of promise. A word of advice - opportunity and promise are like luck: you have to make them!
Speaking on community; while each Top Scholar has achieved their award through hard work and merit, there is an underlying support structure that is a critical component of that success. The families behind each student that provide encouragement and a supportive home environment are crucial to learning and achievement. Also, the teachers who have been with these students five days a week, throughout the school years, who champion learning, purposeful endeavour and hard work deserve recognition.
A community has given each Top Scholar, being recognised today, the best possible support and encouragement; all of which has had a part in their success. Communities participating in the development of our young people, so they can do their best, achieve personal challenges, work with others and serve our communities underpin capable individuals; and strong, vibrant communities.
However, in the end, success for each of you Top Scholars has been, and will be dependent on you. You will need to combine your intellect, a work ethic of excellence and motivation and drive to shape your future. You have already proven that you are outstanding students, capable of achieving to a world-class standard, and we look forward to seeing where your efforts and studies take you next.
So with that thought I will close, by offering my congratulations to the young people being honoured today, and my thanks to the family, teachers and supporters of these bright young people who reaffirm that our country can have confidence in our young men and women and that our future will be in good hands.
Welcome again to Government House, and please enjoy its hospitality this evening.
Kia ora huihui tātou katoa.