It has been a stellar year for robotics at Pinehurst, with nine students achieving success across two national competitions, including multiple Gold medals, three Student of the Year Awards and selection to represent New Zealand internationally.
Students competed at the World Robot Olympiad New Zealand 2026 in May, followed by the New Zealand Robot Olympiad 2026 in July, taking on challenges across robot design, programming, engineering, artificial intelligence and creative problem solving.
Among the standout results, Ella Jihyeon Ahn, Zoe Seohyeon Ahn and Jasper Zhang were each named Student of the Year at the New Zealand Robot Olympiad.
Ella, Zoe and Haoxuan Ethan Wei have also been selected to represent Team New Zealand at the International Robot Olympiad, while Ella and Zoe earned further international selections through their success at the World Robot Olympiad New Zealand.
Results at a Glance
| Student | World Robot Olympiad NZ | New Zealand Robot Olympiad |
| Ella Jihyeon Ahn | Gold | Student of the Year, 6 Gold |
| Zoe Seohyeon Ahn | Gold | Student of the Year, 6 Gold, 1 Silver |
| Jasper Zhang | Gold | Student of the Year, 2 Gold, 1 Silver, Tech |
| Ethan Wei | – | 3 Gold, 2 Silver |
| Samuel Sohn | Silver | Gold, Bronze |
| Seulwon Park | Silver | Silver, Bronze, Tech |
| Kelvin An | Bronze | Gold, Silver, Bronze, Tech |
| Morris Han | Tech | 2 Silver |
| Ryan Zhang | – | Silver, Bronze |
Taking Pinehurst robotics international
We will see several of our students at their next stage, representing New Zealand internationally.
Ella, Zoe and Ethan have been selected for Team New Zealand at the International Robot Olympiad. Ella and Zoe have also qualified for the WRO International competition, with Zoe also selected for WRO Asia and Pacific.
These results are a fantastic reflection of the depth of robotics at Pinehurst and the creativity, technical skill and problem solving our students are developing.
Congratulations to all nine students. We look forward to following our Team New Zealand representatives as they take their skills to the international stage.
