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The Ian Mackinlay Memorial Scholarship is for a young man who has shown personal excellence in every field of endeavour, whether in the classroom, on the sports field, or in cultural activities. Essential values shown should include honesty, loyalty and integrity as well as strength and determination in tackling challenges.

The recipient should have shown a responsibility to the wider community, showing a combination of individual excellence, commitment to others and pride in being part of a team, and the 2023 recipient is Senior Prefect A. K. Baker.

Angus Baker has earned the right to be described as a highly regarded member of the School community for his tenacity, humility, self-discipline and high level of personal organisation.

His ability, focus and commitment have enabled him to achieve sound academic results. In 2021, Baker produced an 89.75% average over four Advanced Subsidiary (AS) subjects and 90% in A Level Mathematics in the Cambridge International Examinations.

He has also participated in a broad range of extracurricular activities. This year alone these have included the student editor of the Chronicle, the Ethics Olympiad, the Headmaster’s Social Awareness Group, Interact, Model United Nations and Proceres Grammatici.

Angus was appointed as a 2023 Senior Prefect and Head Boy of Tibbs House. In both capacities he has displayed outstanding leadership skills. He has applied himself cheerfully and energetically to all aspects of School life, is affable and held in high regard by his peers and teachers. 

His character approach and performance have seen him awarded the Sir Douglas Meyers Scholarship to study at Gonville and Caius College at Cambridge University in 2024.

Angus is a personable young man with a positive attitude and a strong work ethic. He has been a loyal, proud and significant contributor to Auckland Grammar School.

Angus Baker has the utmost integrity and has embodied the School’s values and he is a worthy recipient of the Ian Mackinlay Memorial Scholarship.

Oliver Gunson is an extremely capable academic, having maintained a place in the top six of the A stream at the end of every year during his time at Auckland Grammar School.

Oliver’s academic strengths are evidenced by his remarkable attainment. In Form 6, he was first in class and recognised with the Flying Officer Alfred P. Fogerty Memorial Scholarship, the Headmaster’s Prize for the Outstanding Scholar in 6A, and awarded the Dr F. Wilson Lang Memorial Prize for Mathematics.

In his end-of-year Cambridge examinations, he scored 94 in A Level Mathematics, 87 in AS Level English Literature, 94 (and Top in New Zealand) in Biology, 96 in Physics, and 97 (and Top in New Zealand ) in Chemistry. He also achieved NZQA Scholarships in English, Calculus, Biology and Earth and Space Science, and an Outstanding Scholarship in Chemistry.

His achievements saw him named on the Honours Board for 2022, and he was one of the 51 students nationally who were awarded Outstanding Scholarship Awards at the 2022 Top Scholars Awards Ceremony. These levels of achievement saw him invited to join Proceres Grammatici, the School’s elite group of our most promising scholarship candidates, in 2023.

Oliver continued these excellent academic standards in 2023, being first in Class in A Level Biology and AS Level Accounting, third in Class in Chemistry and fifth equal in Physics in his Term 3 examinations. His achievements are recognised in 2023 with the award of the Eric Astley Prize, the O’Sullivan Prize for Biology, and the Rabone Prize for Form 7 Science.

Oliver has consistently contributed to the extracurricular life of the School. He has played Football and been involved with Orienteering throughout his time at Grammar, and was Captain of Orienteering in 2023.

He has been a Library Monitor, he completed Duke of Edinburgh Bronze and Silver awards in 2021 and 2022, and in 2023 he has served as a School Prefect. He was also selected as a member of the New Zealand team for the International Chemistry Olympiad.

Oliver is highly regarded by all his masters. He has maintained a straight-A average for his attitude and effort in every end-of-year report. He embodies the Grammar values, especially in his commitment, and his masters draw attention to his “content mastery”, his “excellent problem-solving skills”, his ability to sustain a high level of performance and to act as a role model to his peers at all times.

Oliver hopes to pursue engineering later in life, and next year, he plans to study for a conjoint degree in Engineering and Commerce at the University of Auckland.

The Hal Radford Memorial Trophy is awarded to the young man who by quality of performance and all-round effort has also contributed the administration of a sporting code.

This award is given to a young man involved in a sport that is not necessarily considered a mainstream code and the 2023 recipient is Prefect A. D. Lipscombe, for his contributions to Olympic Weightlifting.

Aidan Lipscombe has been a member of the School’s Weightlifting squad for four years, starting the sport as a Form 4 student while at Tibbs House.

He has become renowned in the Weightlifting community for his vociferous encouragement of Grammar lifters, but also for his quieter encouragement of fellow lifters from other schools. His ability to boost younger lifters’ confidence with such support has made him a popular figure on the Olympic Weightlifting competition circuit.

In 2022, Aidan won gold in the 102kg class and claimed the Jerry Wallwork Trophy for the best weightlifter in the School.

This year at the New Zealand Secondary Schools Championships, he earned Bronze. With his personal best 100kg snatch and 110kg clean and jerk, this 210kg total was the biggest by a Grammar lifter in the competition in seven years. 

Aidan has also continued to actively recruit students into the code.

The Burroughs Cup is awarded to the young man who has entered most whole-heartedly and most widely into the sporting activities of the school. Consideration is given to sportsmanship, School spirit and an all-round interest in games.

The award is not necessarily for individual prowess, but rather for all-around participation, and the 2023 recipient is Prefect L. J. D. Lepionka.

Louis Lepionka is a hardworking sportsman who has made the most of the opportunities given to him over his five years at Auckland Grammar School.

This year, he was captain of Rugby, a member of the Premier Touch team, the Senior Athletics team, Cricket Senior Red and the Senior Swimming team. In his captaincy of the 1st XV Rugby team, he demonstrated pride, commitment and loyalty. He led by example throughout the season, putting team before self.  His commitment to the training load and expectations of him as a premier sportsman never waned. His positivity in the squad reflected his high-quality character. 

There is no doubt that Louis’ sporting talent, work ethic, leadership through action, and humility have all contributed to his success during his time at Grammar.

As a 2023 Prefect, his leadership is shown by his loyal and humble ability to complete tasks and support others without seeking personal reward.

Louis Lepionka is a young man who whole-heartedly competed in School sporting activities, giving his all, and meeting the criteria of the Burroughs Cup – sportsmanship, School spirit, and all-around interest in sport.

The Douglas Cup is for the best sporting performance of the year – for the best individual performance in any sport whilst representing the School, and the 2023 recipient is the Senior A Cycling team, consisting of J. A. J. Barclay, B. C. Pawson, R Y. Turnbull, C. P. Wagener, Z. F. Wyllie and 2023 captain F. A. Malpass.

At the National Secondary Schools Championships held in October in Rongotea over a 17km course, the Senior A team raced in the Under 20 Team Time Trial in wet and windy conditions. As the last team on the course, they were chasing the fastest team’s time of 22:14.

The finishing straight was 1km and on the day had poor visibility. This close-knit team performed to their potential to convincingly beat the fastest time of the day, completing the course in 21:46 to retain the Sir Bernard Fergusson trophy for the second year in succession and for the 24th time in its history (since 1968). The Senior A team also defended their Auckland and North Island titles.

This performance makes the Senior A Cycling team worthy winners of the Douglas Cup, received by captain F. A. Malpass (pictured above with guest presenter, Old Boy Aaron Gate ’04).

The Turner Cup is for all-round participation in School activities, including sound academic progress, participation in extracurricular activities, (especially in sport) and a manly, responsible approach to life, and the 2023 recipient is Senior Prefect P. H. J. Morunga.

Preston Morunga has accepted the opportunities to participate and compete in a curricular and extracurricular sense during his five years at Auckland Grammar School. Through determination and personal drive, he has progressed annually.

His respectful, diligent and resolute approach has exemplified what can be achieved through active participation and a desire to excel.

Preston’s approach has embodied the School’s values, earning the respect of his peers and staff. This approach also demonstrated leadership potential, resulting in Preston being named as one of four Senior Prefects for 2023.

In this role, Preston led the Form 3 Interclass competition, and he was also an active Tuakana Teina Mentor exemplifying leadership qualities and willingness to support junior students.

His commitment to the extracurricular life of the School is evident in playing Rugby and Water Polo as a junior student and has been a member of the 1st XV rugby team for the past two seasons. Preston has excelled academically, actively engaged in extracurricular activities, and embodies a manly, responsible approach to life.