To be awarded the NZ Scholarship, students are expected to show deep understanding of the subject, demonstrate high-level critical thinking and the ability to apply their understanding to complex situations.
Students who achieve NZ Scholarship can receive cash awards, ranging from a one-off $500 payment for a single subject award to $10,000 per year for up to three years for premier award winners.
When the email came in, informing Heslop he’d come in the top 13, he was so shocked at his results that he didn’t scroll down to the bottom of the email to see that he had been invited to Parliament to receive an award from the Prime Minister in April.
Heslop realised there was a possibility that he could become the school’s dux and score high marks on his final exams when he got his results back at the end of Year 11.
“I was quite impressed with my results and that’s when I thought, you know, dux is a possibility if I keep working hard,” he said.
So he set himself the goal, which he achieved.
Despite his successes, Heslop’s staying humble.
He claimed he was on the “lower end” of the nation’s top 13 students when asked what number he was exactly.
But he puts his success down to always enjoying his time at school, working hard and getting good grades.
The thing he says helped him most with his scholarship exams was the same thing that helps rugby players win games – practice.
He also had support from the school’s staff, especially from deputy principal Glenys Sparling-Fenton who would meet Heslop at 7.30am each Tuesday to help him prepare for his accounting Scholarship exams.
“It’s just crazy dedication,” he said of her efforts.
Heslop heads to University of Auckland this year to start his first year of a biomedical science degree, but before he leaves he has some simple advice for students who may not be as academically gifted as he is – just breathe.
“Just relax, your grades don’t define you at all. You can be amazing at a sport, at art or music, anything you want really.”
Havelock North High School principal Joel Wilton said Heslop was a thoroughly deserving winner and wonderful ambassador for the school and region.
“Not only is he clever but he is also a thoroughly decent young man and someone who leaves nothing to chance.
“We are certainly fortunate to have students as academically able and driven as Rupert as part of our school community. That said, some of the credit has to go to our teaching staff who go above and beyond every year.
“It’s no accident that this is the second time in three years a student from Havelock North High School has been among the top students in the country. Not bad for a state school in Hawke’s Bay.”
Jack Riddell is a multimedia journalist with Hawke’s Bay Today and has worked in radio and media in the UK, Germany, and New Zealand.