Pupils divvy up Matharapa pie

Number-crunching Wairarapa pupils joined battle yesterday during the first day of the annual Matharapa competition.
Chris McKenna, Wairarapa Mathematics Association president and Kuranui College head of maths, said up to 400 pupils were set to compete at the two-day event, being held for the first time at the Wairarapa College school hall.
Mr McKenna said the competition had been running for up to 30 years in the region and having a school battlefield this year was a return to earlier contests that were hosted at participating colleges.
He said the event had been held at the Masterton Town Hall and the War Memorial Stadium over the past few years.
Year 5 and 6 pupils from northern Wairarapa kicked off the Matharapa and led the way for their southern Wairarapa counterparts yesterday afternoon, before the Year 7, 8, 9 and 10 teams took the arena.
Each team of three pupils competes in three phases of competition over almost two hours. The teams comprise individual, group, and group practical problem-solving.
Each team receives a prize package, while winning teams over the six divisions are presented with a trophy and prizes that include dissectional puzzle Soma cubes, sets of Sudoku puzzles, and standard and specialist electronic calculators.
Mr McKenna said prizes had all been donated by trusts and service clubs in the region.
Senior pupils from Wairarapa and Kuranui colleges have volunteered, along with teachers, to mark contest answers.
Mr McKenna said four Kuranui College pupils were marking papers throughout the contest as part of their Duke of Edinburgh Award activities and their number included past Matharapa-winning team member Emily Jamieson.