Read the latest news from Rutherford College

Kia ora te whanau ō te Kōtuku

Wednesday night was an evening where academic excellence was celebrated. It was also a night that highlighted and celebrated the wairua within our community.  The student performances across a range of musical genres were also both enjoyable and of a high quality.

$470,000 was allocated to our Year 13 students in the way of tertiary scholarships to support their next steps post Rutherford. The highlight in this space was Amy Thompson our two-time Dux Ludorum receiving scholarships to two USA Universities which covers fees, accommodation and coaching. Both US schools are NCCA Division 1 in athletics.

Top scholars by year level.

Year 11 - Adam Yuan.

Adam has a perfect GPA in 2026 and was the top performer for Year 11 in our recent derived grade exams. He has 55 Level 1 Excellence Credits and 18 Level 2 Excellence Credits. Impressively he has won four first places, in Year 12 Chemistry, Year 12 Calculus, Year 11 Media and Year 11 German.

Year 12 - Neil Mendonca.

Neil has 100 Level 2 Excellence Credits and 16 Level 3 Excellence Credits. Neil has Firsts in two Year 13 subjects: 13 Physics, 13 Chemistry and firsts in 12 Geography and 12 Maori as well as distinctions in 13 Calculus and 12 English.

Year 13

2026 Proxime Accessit- Runner up Dux - Lukas Turner

Lukas has attained 50 excellence credits this year and sustained a perfect GPA in four of his subjects. He was awarded a University of Auckland Top Achievers Scholarship, He won first prize in Engineering, and attained Distinction in both Calculus and English. 

2026 Eric Clark Award for Dux Litterarum - Chau Giang Nguyen

Chau has not had the usual pathway to this award. She started at Rutherford halfway through Year 11 and threw herself into the challenge of learning academic English.

In Year 12 she earnt 82 excellence credits and successfully sat Scholarship Calculus despite only doing Y12 Calculus that year. In 2026 she was first in Year 13 Calculus, 1st in 13 Statistics, and has distinctions in Physics, Chemistry and Mechatronics. In 2026 she has earned 50 excellence credits taking 6 subjects at Level 3 and achieving a perfect GPA across 4 of them.

Congratulations to all students who received prizes on the night.

The journey for our Year 13 students ended on Thursday with their leavers lunch. Students were issued with their leavers scroll, graduation badge and memories book.  Our school hall was given an American diner style set up with burgers and chips as the preferred menu. Our Year 13s then had their annual quiz and presented the usual tongue in cheek year 13 awards. 

The event concluded with the class of 2026 walking down the driveway as a group, with our Year 9 and 10 students performing our school haka to add a memorable full stop to their journey as part of the Kōtuku flock. 

NCEA Exams 

Please check the official NZQA timetable carefully, particularly whether each examination is scheduled for the morning or afternoon.

2026 NZQA Examination Timetable

NZQA requires students to arrive at least 20 minutes before their examination begins.

Students who arrive late do not receive extra time. Those arriving more than 30 minutes after the official start cannot enter without direct NZQA approval, which is only granted in exceptional circumstances.

Students must take responsibility for knowing when their examinations are scheduled. There is no guarantee that a missed examination can be rescheduled.

Important NCEA Examination Rules

To ensure examinations run smoothly, all students must follow these expectations:

• Uniform: Full and correct school uniform must be worn.
• Admission slip: Students must bring their NZQA admission slip to every examination.
• Drink bottles: Must be completely clear, without labels or markings.
• Equipment: Pens, pencils and approved calculators must be brought in a clear pencil case or plastic bag. Calculator and laptop covers must be removed.
• Paper and notes: No personal paper, notes or study materials may be brought into the examination.
• Electronic devices: Phones, watches, headphones and other electronic devices must be switched off and kept outside the examination room in students' bags. Headphones are permitted only when specifically required for an approved examination.
• Digital examinations: Students must bring a fully charged laptop and know their NZQA login details.

Students must follow all instructions from examination supervisors.

Expectations During Study Leave

Senior students who choose to study at school are expected to use their time productively and respect the learning environment.

Mobile phone use is not permitted for students studying at school. Students who wish to spend time on their phones should study at home instead.

We also ask senior students not to spend their study leave lounging in the sun, socialising or wandering around the school grounds.

Our Year 9 and 10 students are still attending regular classes and working hard. It is difficult to maintain their focus when senior students are moving around the school as though the summer holidays have already begun.

We expect our senior students to demonstrate maturity, show consideration for younger students and set a positive example.

Junior Examinations Timetable

Y9 and 10 students will be participating in exams over two days later this month. This is the timetable for each year level.

What's coming up?

10 November - NCEA Exams begin
20 November & 23 November - Junior Exams
04 December & 07 December - Wider Living Days for Y 9 and Y 10
09 December - Y10 Prizegiving and last day for Year 10
10 December - Y9 Prizegiving and last day for Y9

Ngā mihi nui

Gary Moore