Year 12 student Richard Brown shares his experience of the challenging New Zealand Engineering Science Competition, with eight budding College mathematicians, physicists, and computer specialists drawing on their knowledge and skills.

My team and I, along with a second team from school, have had the exciting opportunity to participate in the prestigious New Zealand Engineering Science Competition. An annual event, the competition draws together the brightest minds from across the country, challenging teams of four to engage in a full day of problem-solving. Our team, a mix of two Year 12 students and two Year 13 students, has been preparing for weeks, cramming in sessions whenever possible to refine our skills and strategies.

With more than 280 teams from various schools across the country participating, the competition is very real. It is held at each team’s school.

Our College teams featured myself, Lester Lai, Peter Wu, and Leo Kim, and Angus Whitteker, Harry Vaughan, Nicholas Sharr, and Aaron Kwak.

We arrived at school early on competition day, about half an hour before the official start time, to arrange the room in a preferable configuration and mentally prepare for the long day we were about to face. The competition kicked off at precisely 10am, when we were emailed the question that we would be working on until 6pm (yes, one question). The problem the teams were working on was: ‘How many airships would it take to replace the Cook Strait ferries?’

The competition demands not only mental stamina, but also physical endurance. The first couple of hours were spent on interpreting the question. Each of us brought his strengths to the table, whether it was mathematical modelling, coding, or report writing. We divided the tasks evenly, ensuring that everyone’s unique strengths were utilised to the fullest.

As the competition neared its end, we were starting to feel the pressure. We worked tirelessly to finalise our mathematical models and ensured that our calculations were as clear and accurate as possible. The final hour was chaotic, with everyone clattering away at our keyboards making last-minute adjustments. Two minutes from the deadline, we tried to submit our document containing everything we had done over the past eight hours, only to encounter an online error. We could not submit it. We started to panic. Then we realised we had four different computers. Phew. We finally submitted our 10-page report with 10 seconds to spare. We were exhausted but, ultimately, relieved by the day’s efforts.

Participating in the New Zealand Engineering Science Competition was an incredibly unique experience. It tested our knowledge, teamwork, sanity, and problem-solving skills to the maximum. The sense of achievement we felt after completing such a challenging task was immense. Beyond the academic side of it, the competition strengthened our bonds as a team and provided us with an insight into the world of engineering and science.