Dilworth’s Top Scholars Awards evening is one of the most special events on the Dilworth calendar. This year, it felt even more special, taking place in our new chapel and celebrating some outstanding results.
We welcomed back students and their families from the class of 2025, now Dilworth Old Boys, as well as current Senior Campus students, their whānau, staff and special guests, including Dilworth Board members: Mr Jonathan Mason (Chair), Mr Leo Foliaki, Mr Aaron Hockly and Mr John Morris and Trust Office CEO, Mr Ewen Anderson.
Headmaster Mr Dan Reddiex set the scene. Clearly delighted, he highlighted the progress made by Dilworth students last year, noting that academic performance had significantly improved, with the University Entrance rate and the number of Scholarships attained standing out as the best results ever for Dilworth since the qualifications began.
“Our University Entrance rate was the highest in living memory. And for the second consecutive year, our Certificate endorsement rates at NCEA Level 2 and Level 3 surpassed the national averages at both Merit and Excellence, this time by some margin”.
Academic Colours
Throughout the evening, Dilworth students were honoured with Academic Colours for their achievements. Mr Reddiex took the time to read out a citation for each student at every level – from Year 11 to Year 13. What stood out in these accounts was not only the academic success of each young man who came on stage, but the sheer range and depth of their personal accomplishments.
Striking also was the evident progression in NCEA grades - from merit to excellence - for many of 2025’s Year 12 students, compared to the grades they achieved at Year 11 the year prior. Mr Reddiex praised the ‘intentional focus’ of these young men last year.
Guest Performances
A spellbinding musical piece: “Remembrances" by John Williams was performed by Henry Liu (violin), accompanied by Alex Bai (piano), adding a touch of magic to the evening.
The guest speaker for the evening was Dilworth Old Boy Arthur Pan, whose impressive CV included being Dux and Deputy Head Boy of the Class of 2014 before going on to do a conjoint Law and Arts degree at the University of Auckland, majoring in Political Science and International Relations. He is now an Associate at Couch Harlowe Kovacevich, where he specialises in commercial litigation and employment law.
Arthur gave some home truths about life with refreshing candour, providing students with valuable insight and practical advice - from his own experience - on how to handle what he called ‘Life’s inevitable setbacks’.
“The question is not if, but when they occur, and the key is how you handle them”.
He also sent a clear message to students about the significance of doing the graft to achieve their goals, again using his personal experience.
“Looking back, it is not the achievements that stand out; it is the gap between who I was and who I thought I should be. So I tried to improve and trusted the process, did the unglamorous stuff – building and maintaining the habit of doing the hard yards”.
NZ Scholarship Awards
The final set of awards for the evening was the NZ Scholarship Awards, the pinnacle of New Zealand’s education system from an academic perspective.
Alongside each young man (or their representative) who crossed the stage to receive their medal was the Dilworth teacher who had supported their growth in their awarded subject.
Mr Reddiex expressed his pride in the school's 2025 NZ Scholarship results. In 2024, at the very same award ceremony, he recalled encouraging students to have a go at Scholarship. Dilworth students took the message on board and collectively achieved the best-ever results in 2025, with 23 scholarships awarded, including 3 Outstanding Scholarships!
He explained that the number of Scholarships available in a subject is limited to around 3% of the number of students who achieve 14 or more credits in that subject at NCEA Level 3. So to gain a Scholarship means you are among the elite, if you secure an Outstanding Scholarship, you are one of the very best in the country.
“ Our Scholarship results are the ultimate academic frontier, and they were the best in our history. To say that we are heading in a positive direction is a bit of an undersell. I am so proud of the work our staff and students are doing together and the success that those efforts are yielding”.
Mr Dan Reddiex, Headmaster.
Outstanding Scholarship winners:
Sean Lile – Printmaking
Mark Tima – English
Brian Zhao - Geography
Huge congratulations to all our Top Scholars of 2025
