Chemistry Olympiad
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The 2023 NZ team: Isla Swanney (Nayland College), Jayden Kumar (Auckland Grammar), Oliver Gunson (Auckland Grammar), Cedric Siriwardana (ACG Sunderland).
The annual Chemistry Olympiad is an international chemistry competition for teams of four young people from around the world. The New Zealand team is selected, trained and coordinated as a collaboration between the universities and high schools. The International Chemistry Olympiad, ICHO, started in Eastern Europe in 1968 and has grown to about 90 countries with New Zealand first competing in 1992.
The 56th Olympiad is to be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from 21-31 July 2024.
Selection of a training group is made around September/October of the previous year and is based upon performance in a selection test. It will next be held on 14 September 2023. The selection test assumes knowledge of only Year 12 (NCEA Level 2) Chemistry and is great preparation for these exams.
During term one, the training group will be enrolled in Piazza and Bestchoice so that they can work through a series of modules that extend their level of chemistry knowledge. A second exam in March is used to select the group of about 32 students (with no more than three students from any one school) for a training camp to be held in the April school break.
The initial NZCHO test in September is an opportunity for students to be challenged and test skills that will extend them and prepare them for the external exams. Students will be awarded Gold, Silver and Bronze certificates based on their level of achievement. The results of this test will also be used to select the students in the NZCHO training group, however, the following additional criteria will apply.
To be eligible, students must be under 20 and must be fully enrolled at high school prior to the IChO in July, but may do no more than 2 courses at University level (not chemistry) prior to the International competition. Students must be a NZ Citizen or permanent resident at the time of accepting a place in the training group and must have attended school in NZ for two of the last 4 years prior to selection for the training group. Students must also be at least 15 years of age at the time of the camp.
The New Zealand Chemistry Olympiad Trust is a member of the Science Olympianz Association.
Registration will now remain open until 7 September 2023. By registering for the entrance test you agree to the following conditions:
1. That you are prepared to conscientiously participate in the training programme. (This may involve about three to four hours study a week from January to March and, if selected, attending a training camp to be held in the April vacation).
2. If selected in the team of four students, you would you be available to travel to the International Chemistry Olympiad in July.
3. The Olympiad Trust will be trying to raise funds nationally. However it will also be necessary to fundraise locally. Up to $650 for the training camp and some travel expenses ($1000) for the Olympiad team members may be required to be raised locally by you. Naturally we will give you advice and help. You are prepared to meet these financial demands either directly or through fund-raising.
4. You have the support of school and parents to participate in the Olympiad training programme if selected.
5. You will be under 20 in July next year and to compete at the IChO you must be fully enrolled at high school prior to the IChO in July but may do no more than 2 courses at University level (not chemistry), prior to the International competition in July.
6. While students of all ages and nationalities can be in the training group. You are a NZ Citizen or permanent resident at the time of accepting a place in the camp and you will be at least 15 years of age at the time of the camp. You have also attended school in NZ for two of the last 4 years prior to selection for the camp.
The cost for registration is $40 + fees (the fees are donated to education charities). Contact us if you require invoicing.
If you were in the training group previously, you do not need to sit the entry exam again, but you must confirm this to Dr Jan Giffney by email (jan@giffney.co.nz). You will also need to pay the $50 training group fee after the training group is announced.
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Team 2023:
| Name | Position | Education | Medal |
| Isla Swanney | Team | Nayland College | Bronze |
| Jayden Kumar | Team | Auckland Grammar | Bronze |
| Oliver Gunson | Team | Auckland Grammar | Silver |
| Cedric Siriwardana | Team | ACG Sunderland | Bronze |
Team 2022:
| Name | Position | Education | Medal |
| Ryaan Sidhu | Team | Auckland Grammar | Bronze |
| Liam Hall | Team | ACG Sunderland | Silver |
| Allan Han | Team | Macleans College | Bronze |
| Yifei Song | Team | Auckland International College | Bronze |
Team 2021: Japan (online theory exam only)
| Name | Position | Education | Medal |
| Mason Liu | Team | Rangitoto College | Bronze |
| Sam Zhuang | Team | Kristin School | Honourable mention |
| Abhinav Chawla | Team | Macleans College | Honourable mention |
| Daniel Jang | Team | Kings College | Honourable mention |
| James Hui | Reserve | Macleans College |
Team 2019: Paris, France
| Name | Position | Education | Medal |
| Rayman Tang | Team | Macleans College | Bronze |
| Jaqlin van Schalkwyk | Team | Kristin School | Bronze |
| Daniel Ahn | Team | Macleans College | Highly commended |
| Connor Gallagher | Team | St Peter’s College | Bronze |
Team 2018: Bratislava, Slovakia; and Prague, the Czech Republic
| Name | Position | Education | Medal |
| Russell Boey | Team | St Andrew’s College | Bronze |
| Callan Loomes | Team | Auckland Grammar School | Bronze |
| Steven Ma | Team | Auckland Grammar School | Bronze |
| Stefan Ivanov | Team | Westlake Boys High School | - |
Team 2017: Bangkok, Thailand
| Name | Position | Education | Medal |
| Janice Ho | Team | Macleans College, Auckland | Bronze |
| Zijun (Allen) Hui | Team | Macleans College, Auckland | Silver |
| Milidu Ratnayake | Team | Auckland Grammar School | Bronze |
| Sang (Harry) Yeom | Team | Auckland International College | Bronze |
| Dr Owen Curnow | Head Mentor | University of Canterbury | |
| Dr Stephen McCracken | Mentor | Mt Roskill Grammar School | |
| Katrina Graaf | Observer | University of Auckland |
Team 2016: Tbilisi, Georgia
| Name | Position | Education | Medal |
| Ellena Black | Team | St Andrew’s College, Christchurch | Bronze |
| Lucas Lee | Team | Macleans College, Auckland | Bronze |
| Edward Liu | Team | Macleans College, Auckland | Bronze |
| Ben Zhang | Team | Macleans College, Auckland | Bronze |
| William Wang | Reserve | King’s College, Auckland | |
| Dr Duncan McGillivray | Mentors | University of Auckland | |
| Dr Andrew (Buck) Rogers | Mentors | St Peter’s College |
Team 2015: Baku, Azerbaijan
| Name | Position | Education | Medal |
| Hugo Brown | Team | St Paul's Collegiate, Hamilton | Bronze |
| Brianna Nally | Team | James Hargest High School | Bronze |
| Thomas Chang | Team | Auckland Grammar Schoo | Bronze |
| David Kim | Team | Macleans College, Auckland | Bronze |
| Sam Frengley | Reserve | St Peter's School, Cambridge | |
| Dr Jan Giffney | Mentors | St Cuthbert's College | |
| Dr Sheila Woodgate | Mentors | University of Auckland | |
| Dr Allick Lal | Observer | Macleans College |
Team 2014: Hanoi, Vietnam
| Name | Position | Education | Medal |
| Isari Masuda | Team | Auckland Grammar School | Bronze |
| Victor Xie | Team | Mt Roskill Grammar School | Bronze |
| Mark Yep | Team | Mt Roskill Grammar School | Bronze |
| Ross Shillito | Team | Christ's College | Bronze |
| Jenny Chiang | Reserve | Macleans College | |
| Henry Jiang | Reserve | Macleans College |
Team 2013: Moscow, Russia
| Name | Position | Education | Medal |
| Feng (Frank) Zhou | Team | Macleans College | Silver |
| Ka Yin Keniel Yao | Team | Macleans College | Bronze |
| Xin Yi (Cindy) Ou | Team | Mt Roskill Grammar | Bronze |
| Scott Huang | Team | Rangitoto College | Bronze |
| Hengxun Zhang | Reserve | Auckland Grammar School |
Team 2012: Washington, D.C., USA
| Name | Position | Education | Medal |
| Andy Chen | Team | Macleans College | Silver |
| Robert Shin | Team | Macleans College | Bronze |
| Mathew Lie | Team | Westlake Boys High School | Bronze |
| Pak-Hang (Henry) Yuen | Team | Auckland Grammar School | Bronze |
| Lincoln (Lin Feng) Ye | Reserve | Auckland Grammar School |
Team 2011: Ankara, Turkey
| Name | Position | Education | Medal |
| Andy Chen | Team | Macleans College | Bronze |
| Thomas Fellowes | Team | Christ's College | Bronze |
| Jade Leung | Team | St Cuthbert's College | Bronze |
| Kailun Wang | Team | Auckland Grammar School | Bronze |
| Aaron Li | Reserve | Mt Roskills Grammar School | |
| Matthew Conder | Reserve | Onehunga High School |
Team 2010: Tokyo, Japan
| Name | Position | Education | Medal |
| Stewart Alexander | Team | Christchurch Boys' High School | Bronze |
| David Bellamy | Team | Christ's College | Bronze |
| Jai Min Choi | Team | Massey High School | Bronze |
| Luke Xu | Team | Massey High School | Bronze |
| Tony Zhai | Reserve | Macleans College |
Team 2009: Cambridge, England
| Name | Position | Education | Medal |
| Kevin Jan | Team | Burnside High School | Bronze |
| Joel Lawson | Team | Macleans College | Silver |
| Jared Lewis | Team | Dunstan High School | Bronze |
| Hyun-Sun Roh | Team | St Cuthbert's College | Bronze |
| Hugh McHugh | Reserve | Lindisfame College |
Team 2008: Budapest, Hungary
| Name | Position | Education | Medal |
| Emily Adlam | Team | Diocesan School for Girls | Bronze |
| Sava Mihic | Team | Auckland Grammar School | Bronze |
| Timothy Vogel | Team | Mt Roskill Grammar | Bronze |
| Wenyi Yi | Team | Mt Roskill Grammar | Bronze |
| Tim Conder | Reserve | Tauranga Boys' College |
Team 2007: Moscow, Russian Federation
| Name | Position | Education | Medal |
| Chuan-Zheng Lee | Team | Mt Roskill Grammar | Silver |
| Jonathan Lin | Team | Auckland Grammar | Silver |
| Michael Plunkett | Team | Westlake Boy's High | Bronze |
| Thomas Wong | Team | Auckland Grammar | Bronze |
| Tim Giffney | Reserve | Auckland Grammar |
Team 2006: Gyeongsan, Korea
| Name | Position | Education | Medal |
| Joshua Baker | Team | Newlands College | Silver |
| Kuan-Lun Huang | Team | Auckland Grammar | Silver |
| James Park | Team | Auckland Grammar | Silver |
| Richard Stebbing | Team | Northcote College | Bronze |
| Thomas Steinke | Reserve | Burnside High |
Team 2005: Taipei, Taiwan
| Name | Position | Education | Medal |
| Devarshi Bhattacharyya | Team | Auckland Grammar School | Bronze |
| Daniel Chan | Team | Mt Roskill Grammar | |
| Wei Li Jiang | Team | Burnside High | |
| Lewis Winn | Team | St Paul's Collegiate, Hamilton | |
| Acrane Li | Reserve | Westlake Boys' High |
Team 2004: Kiel, Germany
| Name | Position | Education | Medal |
| Tony Chiu | Team | Mt Roskill Grammar | Bronze |
| Yun Huang | Team | Westlake Boys' High | Bronze |
| Aritra Ray | Team | Mt Roskill Grammar | Bronze |
| Reed Roberts | Team | Scots College | Silver |
| Rebekah Lamb | Reserve | Freyberg High | |
| Michael Fletcher | Reserve | Auckland Grammar |
Team 2003: Athens, Greece
| Name | Position | Education | Medal |
| Yun Huang | Team | Westlake Boys' High | Bronze |
| Graeme Ho Fai Mak | Team | Auckland Grammar | Hon. Mention |
| Aritra Ray | Team | Mt Roskill Grammar | |
| William Shew | Team | Avondale College | Bronze |
| Yue Wu | Reserve | Christ's College |
Team 2002: Groningen, The Netherlands
| Name | Position | Education | Medal |
| Peter Shiu Cheung Lau | Team | Mt Roskill Grammar | Bronze |
| Gemma Mason | Team | Burnside High | Hon. Mention |
| Kelvin Peng | Team | Auckland Grammar | Bronze |
| Andrew Yearsley | Team | Avondale College | Bronze |
| Alan Chan | Reserve | Westlake Boys' High | |
| Paul Cheng | Reserve | Macleans College |
Team 2001: Mumbai, India
| Name | Position | Education | Medal |
| Irene Ballagh | Team | Otago Girls' High | Bronze |
| Albert Bollard | Team | Wellington College | Hon. Mention |
| Jack Chen | Team | Auckland Grammar | |
| Rosalind Phillips | Team | Havelock North High | |
| Shawna Huang | Reserve | St Cuthbert's College |
Team 2000: Copenhagen, Denmark
| Name | Position | Education | Medal |
| Luke Henry | Team | Auckland Grammar | Bronze |
| Chris Rapson | Team | Auckland Grammar | Bronze |
| Donny Wong | Team | Mt Roskill Grammar | |
| Silas Xu | Team | St Andrew's College | Silver |
| Ressell Hewitt | Reserve | Havelock North High |
Team 1999: Bangkok, Thailand
| Name | Position | Education | Medal |
| Desmond Chun Fung Chik | Team | Auckland Grammar | Bronze |
| Tim King | Team | Wellington College | Bronze |
| Richard Kramer | Team | Westlake Boys' High | Bronze |
| Stephen McCracken | Team | Avondale College | |
| James Keenan | Reserve | Wanganui Collegiate | |
| Ben Ting Chiang Yi | Reserve | Glenfield College |
Team 1998: Melbourne, Australia
| Name | Position | Education | Medal |
| Tim King | Team | Wellington College | Special Certificate |
| Tien Huey Lim | Team | Diocesan School for Girls | Bronze |
| Francis Reid | Team | Westlake Boys' High | |
| Tanya Ronson | Team | Otago Girls' High | |
| Sasha Senthi | Reserve | Auckland Grammar School |
Team 1997: Montreal, Canada
| Name | Position | Education | Medal |
| Luke Baxter | Team | Westlake Boys' High | Bronze |
| Malcolm Lowe | Team | Auckland Grammar | Bronze |
| Nick Webb | Team | Shirley Boys' High | Bronze |
| Alexander Ng | Team | Auckland Grammar | |
| Jonathan Randle | Reserve | Christchurch Boys' High |
Team 1996: Moscow, Russian Federation
| Name | Position | Education | Medal |
| Derek Caudwell | Team | Tauranga Boys' High | |
| Ben Clark | Team | Wellington College | Silver |
| Geoff Lau | Team | Westlake Boys' High | |
| Michael Townsend | Team | Te Puke High | |
| Ashok Raj | Reserve | Auckland Grammar |
Team 1995: Beijing, P.R. China
| Name | Position | Education | Medal |
| Andrew Baldwin | Team | Palmerston North Boys' High | |
| Hayden Callow | Team | Pleasant Point High | |
| Ben Clark | Team | Wellington College | Bronze |
| Irine Peng | Team | Epsom Girls' Grammar | Bronze |
| Jeremy Harrison | Reserve | Christ's College |
Team 1994: Oslo, Norway
| Name | Position | Education | Medal |
| Duncan McGillivray | Team | Sacred Heart College, Auckland | Bronze |
| Raghav Raman | Team | Scots College | Bronze |
| Andrew To | Team | Auckland Grammar | Silver |
| Ben Wilkinson | Team | Palmerston North Boys' High | Silver |
| Wayne Patrick | Reserve | Otago Boys' High |
Team 1993: Perugia, Italy
| Name | Position | Education | Medal |
| Simon Blakey | Team | Auckland Grammar | Bronze |
| Jason Tseung | Team | Auckland Grammar | Bronze |
| David Yuen | Team | Selwyn College, Auckland | Silver |
| Andrew Gilbert | Team | Palmerston North Boys' High | Silver |
| Robin Knight | Reserve | Otago Boys' High |
Team 1992: Pettsburgh, USA
| Name | Position | Education | Medal |
| Nicholas Cutfield | Team | Otago Boys' High | |
| Michael Fleming | Team | Auckland Grammar | Bronze |
| Henry Liu | Team | Auckland Grammar | Bronze |
| Andrew Lowe | Team | Selwyn College | |
| Stephen Hodge | Reserve | Fairfield College |
For all enquiries contact:
- Dr Jan Giffney (Chair) Auckland
- Dr Owen Curnow (Treasurer) University of Canterbury
- Dr Duncan McGillivray, University of Auckland