Eliza Edwards Memorial Award
This award is named after former Principal Eliza Edwards and the qualities that define it are etched on the window at the back of the School Chapel – ‘Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Goodness, Kindness, Humility, Faithfulness and Self-Control’.
Congratulations to Daisy Buchanan who lives and breathes the Christian qualities identified by the Apostle Paul.
Daisy demonstrates those qualities every day, her kind smile and infectious enthusiasm have been appreciated by us all since she entered Dio as a wee 5 year old.
Daisy is a proud Edwards girl (fittingly for this award!) in the footsteps of her big sister Clementine. This year she has led the Edwards house with heart and passion. Daisy has a genuine interest in others and for Daisy a leadership role such as house leader is not about her. She seeks to bring out the best in others, shares the limelight with them and encourages and fosters the same kind of involvement in school that she enjoys.
Daisy has accepted a University of Otago Leader of Tomorrow Scholarship and is intending to study Engineering.
Dame Rosie and Michael Horton Prize
Dame Rosie and Michael Horton have had a long association with Diocesan through the education of their daughter and granddaughters. They have generously donated this prize which will be awarded annually to a year 13 student to support her as she leaves Diocesan, determined to make a difference. After the passing of Dame Rosie we are grateful for the continued support of Michael Horton and the Horton family. This year’s recipient is Lotosina Tavui
Hassall Cups
The Hassall Deputy Head Prefect Cup for Leadership commitment and dedication to Diocesan School for Girls – Ivy Barrington
The Hassall Head Prefect Cup for Leadership commitment and dedication to Diocesan School for Girls – Lotosina Tavui
Ut Serviamus Award
This award acknowledges what sits at the heart of our school values. Ut Serviamus as our motto recognises the importance of servant leadership. Mark’s gospel reminds us that Jesus explained to his followers that their practice of leadership was to be distinctly different than the self-seeking, self-serving, and domineering style of leadership often found in the world: “Whoever would be first among you must be servant of all”
Here at Diocesan each year level has service learning challenges to seek out ways in which we can support the wider community, be that local communities or further afield. This award celebrates a student who goes beyond that and uses initiative to genuinely look for ways to improve the world for others.
This year the Ut Serviamus award goes to Xinyu Jiang
Xinyu is a talented skateboarder and she wants to share her love of this sport with other young women and so has been instrumental in establishing events for them to compete at such as the Auckland Women’s Skateboarding Festival, and GIRLYPOP Skateboarding workshops and Wellness Riders coaching. Xinyu is a co-founder of the TEDX Epsom Women’s group where she hopes to elevate women’s voices and celebrate female leadership through sport and storytelling. She also runs a social enterprise Fuzzy Bunny which raises funds for the East Tamaki Women’s Refuge and is a regular volunteer at Everybody Eats. Xinyu says that whether through mentoring, event creation or storytelling she aims to combine creativity, compassion and action to make positive lasting change in the community.
EY Award
EY have a strong relationship with Diocesan and wish to recognise artistic excellence through this prize. The winner for 2025 was Jemima Garnett.
This year’s judge, Dominic Feuchs (Director and a founder of Starkwhite Gallery) said:
“My congratulations to all the students who entered, and to the exceptional effort and talent demonstrated in all the works. The standard was universally high.
It really wasn’t easy choosing just one work, but in the end I chose Jemima Garnett’s painting ‘Held by Water’. Visually, this is an arresting work – the viewer is drawn into the frame by being positioned behind and above the subject, in some sense sharing the subject’s perspective. The subject is suspended within the frame, conveying what may be a feeling of deep relaxation, but could equally evoke dread or loneliness. I appreciate this ambiguity, as it allows the viewer to contemplate their own emotions and perceptions within the painting.
While this is a conceptually captivating work, I believe its true success lies in Jemima’s impressive technical skill as a painter. The painting demonstrates a high level of technique in its handling of reflection, composition, texture, and shape – all executed with great sophistication. This technical foundation is essential to the ongoing growth and success of a young artist, and Jemima is clearly off to a wonderful start.
Congratulation Jemima, this is an exceptional work.”
The Heritrage Foundation Dorothy Shrewsbury Bursary
Miss Shrewsbury was a former Headmistress. Miss Dawn Jones established this bursary in 1983 with funds raised at the 80th Jubilee Concert. This bursary is awarded to the Top Academic Student in Year 12 in both IB and NCEA.
This year the awards went to Eloise Voss and Harriet Wells.
Diocesan Alumnae Association Awards
The Ethel Sandford Bursary for Music
Ethel Sandford was Headmistress from 1926 to 1932. She was noted for her energy and determination as well as musical abilities.
Awarded to: – Madeleine Hegley
The Mary Pulling Award
Mary Pulling was our Founding Headmistress from 1904 to 1926. This award recognises students who show potential and an outstanding contribution to the School in a wide range of areas. Students currently in Years 11 and 12 who will be continuing their education at the School next year are eligible for these Awards. In making the selection, academic ability is a consideration, but the likely contribution of the student to the school is the deciding factor.
The Mary Pulling Award Year 11: Piper Hayton
The Mary Pulling Award Year 12: Francesca Eglinton
Service Awards
Senior Ko Tātou Cup
The class of 2020 donated a Ko Tātou cup to be awarded to a student in each of Years 11-13, years 9-10 and years 7-8 and they wanted this to have an element of student voice in the selection. This year we have two recipients and they have been nominated by their peers.
They are Rosa Lambert Oakley and Aaliyah Dye.
Rosa’s nominator says she is known for the way she embodies the spirit of Ko Tātou through her empathy, integrity, and genuine kindness. She has a rare ability to make others feel valued and included, creating an environment where everyone feels safe to be themselves. Her compassion, humility, and emotional intelligence reflect the values of honesty, respect, and care that lie at the heart of our community.
Aaliyah’s nomination highlighted her kindness and enthusiasm. She always pushes others to find confidence in themselves and their abilities, while remaining a truly authentic and caring figure herself. Aaliyah has also been a breath of fresh air in Cowie House this year, motivating and uniting her peers and younger students.
- Year 11 Service Award – Elizabeth Flint
- Year 12 Service Award – Audrey Tse
- Year 13 Service Award – Holly Bricklebank and Isobella Baggaley
- Heritage Foundation Beale Awards for Service to the School – Kate Beagley and Susie Finlayson
Board Scholarships
Academic Scholarships – Year 11
- Katie Astwick
- Eliza Brader
- Kahlo Coulter-Lewis
- Wendy Xie
Academic Scholarships – Year 12
- Sophia Haines
- Linda Qian
- Eloise Voss
- Harriet Wells
Arts Scholarships
- Grace Pereira
- Annabel Smith
Sports Scholarship
- Piper Hayton
Principal’s Awards
Principal Awards are awarded for each year level to students, who through her dedication and contribution to her studies and to others, has demonstrated:
- Reliability and commitment
- Creative thinking and innovation
- Resilience and persistence in accepting challenges
- Personal excellence
- Demonstration of the School motto “Ut Serviamus”
Principal’s Awards – Year 11
- Chloe Driscoll
- Katherine Dunn
- Katherine Howse
- Shreya Khurana
- Hollie Lawson
- London Leighton
- Beatrix Sharpe
- Anna Ye
Principal’s Awards – Year 12
- Stella Elsmore
- Mia Hanton
- Emma Lamberton
- Alice Li
- Amelia Smith
- Sophie Walter
- Abbey Wei
- Brontë Wolfgram
Principal’s Awards – Year 13
- McKenna Chan
- Celina Dong
- Aimee Herrod
- Stella McElroy
- Danica Nali
- Samantha Thompson
- Maddison Tong
- Charlotte Wear
