Young Kiwis win medals at global science competition

A group of young New Zealanders has won four medals at the country's international debut at an earth science competition.

The 17th International Earth Science Olympiad (IESO), one of 12 annual science Olympiads, was held in Beijing in August, drawing more than 100 participants from 31 countries.

Students from ACG Parnell College and Remuera Intermediate School won four bronze medals at this year's competition - an individual award and three team titles.

Spanning 10 days, the competition featured exams and field investigations, testing participants' knowledge in subjects such as geology, geophysics, meteorology, oceanography, astronomy and environmental science.

Penglong Zhou, a pre-service secondary teacher in Auckland and mentor of the team, was proud of the result, noting that the New Zealand team was among the youngest participants and didn't have much time to prepare.

"I have heard very positive comments from a number of coaches and jury from other countries towards our team members: polite, diligent, cooperative, eager to learn and so on," Zhou said.

"They have done a very good job, considering the limited time we had for preparation and the disadvantage of their age."

Ella Qiu, a Year 9 student from ACG Parnell College who won an individual award and team title at the Olympiad, said she enjoyed the event, making friends with like-minded young people from all over the world.

Qiu, 14, said she learnt a lot during the competition, but now had a better understanding of the "power of friendship and teamwork".

"I already knew a lot about geology, but it was the courage of talking to other people and communicating that allowed me to know more about not just geology, but different cultures and different people," Qiu said.

"Through this I have realized that the best way to learn is to interact with others and share your knowledge with everyone."

Qiu encouraged young New Zealanders to explore the world and challenge themselves.

"Try something new," she said. "You will meet new cultures, new places and new people. The sky is your limit."

Rebecca Zhou, a Year 8 student at Remuera Intermediate School, won a bronze medal with the team.

"However, I believe my greatest gain from this trip was getting to know all the other contestants from all over the globe," the 13-year-old said.

"We all tried our best, and I believe that is something to be proud of," she said. "Despite perhaps being less prepared than other teams, we showed up, we tried and we had an exceptional time."

Mentor Zhou hoped New Zealand students would be able to compete in more Olympiads in future, although the tournament's rules prevented the students who participated this year from competing again.

"I want to better prepare Kiwi kids for the next IESO," he said.

"I will seek support from society and ensure we can reach a broader base of potential candidates next year."

Zhou said New Zealand's unique geodiversity was widely admired by those attending the competition, adding that the country could consider hosting the event in future.

He also called for more support from the education sector and the government.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Education said the students who won medals should be "enormously proud of their achievements".

"Their passion, commitment and success are really admirable and a real inspiration to others," the spokesperson said.

Nir Orion, chair of the International Geoscience Education Organisation, said the team's involvement in the Olympiad could help promote earth science in New Zealand schools.

"The New Zealand team ... won medals but, educationally, what matters is the internal achievement," Orion said. "It's the knowledge and skills the student has acquired and not the number and type of medals they received."