All-star academic

Oliver Morton has always been shooting for the stars, and clinching Nelson College dux for 2024 was the final frontier in his schooling tenure.

With an exemplary background in academics, swimming, music and school service, and his responsibilities as the head student, Oliver had rocket fuel for the top gong.

The 18-year-old says it was “an absolute honour and a privilege” to be awarded dux but would’ve been equally stoked if fellow academics like Walter Moloney pipped him at the post.

“I’ve always aspired to do well academically, but I think without having good systems, those goals can’t really be achieved,” he says.

“In terms of dux, I’ve always had an emphasis on consistent study, and I’ve improved on that over my senior years… I liked to study in the mornings, usually between 6am and about 8:30am before I head off to school.

“I’ve also been involved with the academic committee which is all about how we can improve the academics at Nelson College and make academics exciting, even though some people might not think so.”

With aerospace engineering study a post-college mission, Oliver cut his teeth this year in a University of Canterbury astronomy course alongside his NCEA Level 3 subjects which included physics, chemistry, biology, calculus and art design.

Excellence endorsements for the subjects and the overall Level 3 certificate beckon, pending final results which get unveiled in January.

Oliver has already procured NCEA Levels 1 and 2 with excellence.

“[Aerospace engineering is] all about pushing the boundaries of what’s possible, using maths and physics, which I absolutely love, and it’s got so many different aspects to it,” he says.

“It’s not just space, rockets and satellites, but there’s also a lot of things down here on earth that it can help with, such as sustainable farming and national security.”

Oliver says teaching children with disabilities how to swim at a para-athlete camp in Christchurch this year even gave him an engineering epiphany.

“They were super inspiring, and they showed me that as a future engineer I’m going to need to think about designs and products that can benefit or that can be adaptable for a wide range of people,” he says.

“I’m a swim coach in Nelson as well, and I had to adapt the way I taught to cater to [swimmers’] needs, so that was another fantastic outlet where I got to think about my career more.”

Oliver has three scholarship offers for the University of Canterbury and one for the University of Auckland, which have a $50,000 combined value.

He also has overseas study offers and he will decide later whether to study abroad or in Aotearoa.

Nelson born and bred, Oliver has savoured giving back to Nelson College as its head boy and lauded the staff for their “great techniques” to engage young men.
He plans to pass on his wisdom at his former Hampden Street and Nelson Intermediate schools in the coming weeks, before looking to the sky.