Impossible choice leaves top award split

For Xanthe Banks and Stella Bloomfield, they didn’t quite realise how similar their learning journeys were until they were announced as the joint recipients of the Palmer Cup for overall excellence at Nayland College.

The award is reserved for someone who has shown all-round achievement in academic, cultural, sporting and citizenship areas.

At just 18-years-old, the girls already have a pretty impressive résumé.

Xanthe already has a diploma in Mātauranga Māori from Te Wānanga o Raukawa in Otaki, and spent last year teaching local kaiako (teachers) te reo Māori through the Te Ahu o te Reo Māori ki Te Tauihu programme, while Stella is spending the summer getting a kick-start on her university education.

Xanthe, of Ngāti Rarua, Rangitāne, Ngāti Kuia, and Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō descent, was in the supermarket when she got the call revealing her as the recipient of the top honour.

“Ms Scott said ‘Are you somewhere I can tell you something private’, I replied ‘I’m in the supermarket, if that helps,’ she recalls.

After the news she walked through the store “smiling like a lunatic”.

Stella, whose mum works at the school as a kaiako, was in her class discussing with her mother how Xanthe would most likely be the recipient of the Palmer Cup.

No sooner had she left to walk down the hallway then she got the call.

“She told me I was sharing it with Xanthe, which I thought was hilarious.”

Stella had no idea that she had also been awarded Dux of the college.

The pair had already racked up a slew of other awards at the year’s earlier prizegivings.

Stella says, while she is proud of the trophy, she feels most proud of all the things that got her to that point.

Both girls will head to Wellington this year to study at Victoria University.
Stella will study space science, law and international relations, while Xanthe is undertaking a double major in Māori Studies and Law.

“I’ve always had a passion for learning about indigenous cultures, especially my own,” Xanthe says.

“I want to learn about other indigenous cultures and then bring that back into te Ao Māori and bring it back home.”

She is spending the summer doing a research project with Ngāti Kuia.

“I’m really excited to learn about one of my iwi, and dive deeper into the past and then also about our significant sites, because that is part of one of the major parts of the research is learning about our significant sites and where our iwi stands with those sites.

Stella headed back to Chile this month to visit her host family that she met during her three month exchange there in 2023.

She says the exchange was the personal highlight of her schooling at Nayland, but her debating achievements are what she’s most proud of.

This included heading to nationals three years in a row, claiming third place nationally as a Year 11.

“That was like insane as a year 11 to do that nationally.”

Acting principal Hannah Banks, no relation to Xanthe, says both girls have had a huge impact on the school.

“Both in your different ways, have made our school more that lots of different students can connect and find their place here. I think you both left a significant legacy behind for the next year.”

Xanthe says, while she occasionally finds time to sleep, the teachers at Nayland were a huge support.

“It’s always hard to juggle everything and then also see other people hanging out and feel like you’re missing out, but then you’re doing all this amazing stuff. So it’s really conflicting.”

Both wāhine were described as talented individuals.

The pair gave a joint speech at the junior prizegiving as their final task at Nayland College.