What is NZEST?
The New Zealand Education and Scholarship Trust was founded in December 1991 to administer scholarship examinations to challenge and extend New Zealand's academically able seventh-form students.

The Government abolished the state scholarship examination in 1989 and a group of teachers, headed by Rory Barrett (now the Academic Convenor of NZEST) organised scholarship examinations in 1990/1 before NZEST was established as a charitable trust.

NZEST is an independent examining body, free from political control, sponsored by the business community.

Why is a scholarship examination necessary?
Over the past 10 years, the number of students staying on for their seventh form year has increased dramatically. This has forced the New Zealand Qualifications Authority bursary examination to become more broadly based and therefore less able to extend the more gifted students.

NZEST believes the scholarship examinations are necessary for two reasons:

  • to ensure that top academic standards are maintained in the senior secondary school
  • to stimulate and challenge the most able students

Why sit NZEST scholarship examinations?
The NZEST scholarship examinations are:
  • strictly based on the NZQA bursary syllabuses but set at an extended level beyond that of the bursary examinations
  • a focus for students encouraging them to read widely and prepare in depth for each subject
  • competitive examinations providing 250 financial rewards and certificates of attainment for those who are successful
  • a chance for students to test themselves against the best in the country
  • not intended as practice examinations before bursary, although it inevitably means students start concentrating and preparing earlier
  • an extra qualification when universities are deciding on selective courses or direct entry in level II courses