Investing in the futures of our best and most gifted

Donald White aims to 'stop the world from collapsing' while Alice Wang wants a career in foreign affairs. Photos / Brett Phibbs and Richard Robinson

The nation's brightest and most ambitious students will receive $5000 each to put towards their futures.

This year the New Zealand Education and Scholarship Trust awarded eight scholarships to school leavers considered the top all-round academics.

These are students who not only received some of the country's highest marks in their NCEA, Cambridge or scholarship examinations, but were then selected for the scholarship by a panel of judges representing schools, universities and business.

The trust looks for top students who are multi-talented and will make a difference in the long term.

Donald White

Donald White has moved on from wanting to understand the world to wanting to change it.

The 17-year-old Pakuranga College student sat subjects a year ahead of his age group and is now settling into a geotechnical engineering degree at the University of Auckland.

Eventually he would like to design tunnels, mines and the foundations for large structures in Africa and South America.

His degree will basically help him to "stop the world from collapsing", he said.

He is fascinated by science and the way the world functions and thinks everyone else should be too.

"Every day people turn on the TV, the lights, open the fridge but don't know what's behind it. It's important for people to understand how it works."

When he was 5 and living in South Africa he began collecting insects as he walked home from school and then hoped to become an entomologist.

Now he spends much of his time breeding catfish - a species which, like him, is inquisitive, colourful and not too violent.

Last year he travelled with the New Zealand Physicists team to an international competition in Croatia, where the team took second place.

Jazz is another one of his passions and he played the saxophone in the school jazz band. He also played cricket and chess for the college, and continues to do both in his spare time.

Donald will be putting his $5000 scholarship prize towards his student loan so he can get overseas as quickly as possible. He will be just 21 when he finishes his five-year degree and will already be strides ahead of the rest, something he says he became accustomed to by being the youngest in classes at school.

"It means you're always punching above your weight."

Alice Wang

Alice Wang - a keen musician, youth advocate and cultural ambassador - hopes to put her scholarship towards becoming a government representative.

The 17-year-old Avondale College student was one of New Zealand's highest achievers in the national scholarship examinations last year.

This year she has embarked on a joint degree in law and philosophy at the University of Auckland.

She hopes to put her $5000 in scholarship prize money towards completing a university exchange in Europe.

Born in China, Alice is deeply interested in other cultures and was involved in the youth United Nations group at school.

Ultimately she would like to work in international relations for a government organisation such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Last year she sat exams in chemistry, physics, biology, English, classics and statistics and achieved outstanding scholarship results in English and statistics.

At the same time she played the piano and trombone for school concert bands and the Aotea Youth Symphony, taught the piano and was a school prefect as well as runner-up dux.

She believes in giving youth a voice on matters of general concern and sits on Auckland City's Youth Council.

Tobias Scott

Went to Glendowie College and was top in scholarship physics in 2007 when he was in year 12. Represented New Zealand in orienteering and underwater hockey. He is now studying at the University of Auckland. His principal said: "Toby is without doubt the best all-rounder I have been associated with in 30 years of teaching."

Ella Tunnicliffe-Glass

Went to St Cuthbert's College where she was runner-up dux and heavily involved in music, drama and debating. She represented New Zealand at a United Nations conference for high school students and is now studying biomedical science at the University of Auckland. She hopes to get into medical school next year.

Scott Thomas

From Western Heights High School in Rotorua. He skipped Year 12 and completed one university mathematics paper as well as four Level 3 NCEA subjects and two Cambridge subjects last year. He assisted the school with technical support, fundraising and played the clarinet in several bands. He is studying a BSc at the University of Canterbury.

Thomas Wilkinson

From Papanui High School in Christchurch, now studying medicine at Otago University. Thomas was involved in school debating and named the most promising secondary school speaker in Canterbury competitions. He played the trumpet in the Christchurch Youth Orchestra and New Zealand Secondary Schools Orchestra.

James Williams

From Burnside High School in Christchurch is now studying a BSc at the University of Canterbury. While at school he achieved high results in Australian maths and chemistry, was a prefect and a member of the school council. He mentored Year 9 students and ran an open physics tutorial for his peers every week.

Benjamin Paterson

Went to King's College and is now studying medicine at Otago University. He won the Auckland impromptu debating competition, was captain of the national physics team that went to Croatia, and part of the Biology Olympiad team. Benjamin was also a school prefect, captain of the Second XV and played the piano.