When Cullinane College student Macy Duxfield showed promise teachers asked whether she would like to try sitting exams at scholarship level, and she agreed.
"It's very much something you have to take on yourself. Some people were told they could try but they didn't want to go for it," she said.
Five years at Cullinane College have been a big journey for the 18-year-old. This week she found out she had passed scholarship exams in two of the three subjects she sat.
Macy has Ngai Tahu, Ngā Rauru and Te Atihaunui a Paparangi heritage, but had no te reo Māori. Over five years she learned te reo, and participated in the college kapa haka group.
"The group has opened up a lot of doors and taught me a lot about my own identity. Kapa haka has been very special, and matua Kamaka Manuel has been pretty influential for me," she said.