Congratulations to our students who achieved outstanding results in this year’s mathematics competitions! Pakūranga College participates in three mathematics competitions every year. All three are held at school during school hours, giving students a great opportunity to challenge themselves and test their mathematical problem-solving skills.
The first competition was the University of Otago Junior Mathematics Competition held during Terms 1 and 2. In 2026, it consisted of a multiple-choice first round in March, followed by a written problem-solving round in May for qualifying students.
The second competition was ICAS Mathematics, which was held in Term 3. It is an international mathematics assessment that challenges students to apply their mathematical knowledge, reasoning, and problem-solving skills beyond regular classroom questions.
The final competition is the Australian Mathematics Competition (AMC), also held in Term 3. It is a well-known international competition featuring 30 problems that test mathematical thinking, logic, and creative problem-solving. Students have 75 minutes to complete the competition at secondary level.
Year 13 student, Laventa To, competed in all the competitions and shares her experiences:
“As a Year 13 student at the school this year, everything is becoming harder and harder, as are these maths competitions. The competitions challenge students to think more and more. At the same time, it also reminds me what I have to improve on in the next stage. But I believe that when students are well prepared for them, they will be deserving of their results. So I encourage students to take part in the competitions in 2027 to challenge yourselves!”
Other students also enjoyed the opportunity to challenge themselves and test their mathematical skills without the pressure of regular school assessments. And of course, one student jokingly mentioned that getting to skip a class was an added bonus!
This year, the following students achieved High Distinction or Distinction awards.
ICAS Mathematics
Distinction
Man Hei (Laventa) To
Australian Mathematics Competition (AMC)
High Distinction
Man Hei (Laventa) To
Joyce (Qiaoyi) Zhang
Tamanpreet Singh
Distinction
Karissa Chang
Mason Khong
Halle Li
Mao (Jing Zheng) Du
Leo (Ruishi) Qi
Joe Weng
University of Otago Mathematics Competition
Distinction
Mason Khong
Peggy Sun
These competitions are open to students who are keen to challenge themselves in mathematics. You don’t have to be a top maths student to give them a go! Keep an eye out for announcements next year and don’t miss your chance to participate. Well done to everyone who participated this year, and we hope to see even more students taking part in 2027!
