Report on the 2010 International Geography Olympiad in Taipei

The 2010 International Geography Olympiad (iGEO) was held in Taipei, the capital city of Taiwan. The national team was selected from the top individual performers in the Maatangi Whenua competition in 2008 and 2009. Nat Christensen and Andy Dysart from John McGlashan High School in Dunedin joined Connor McIver (Riccarton High School) and Callum Dudson (Shirley Boys’ High) to form the New Zealand team. After four days of competition the Olympiad scores showed that our top Geography students were among the best in the world; 27 teams from all over the world competed in the international event. The New Zealand team won two silver medals and a bronze, the best ever Olympiad result for New Zealand Geography.

The Olympiad tested field work, cartography, multimedia analysis, and the analytical writing skills that underpin geographical analyses. Outside the formal examinations, the haka training of Haydon Huriwai at Hutt Valley High School produced an electric performance in the cultural evening, and the New Zealand poster presentation was placed in the top group. Overall, New Zealand finished seventh out of 27 teams, a very good outcome that showed the benefits of the preparatory training camp in Raumati, although we could not match the four weeks of residential training offered to some national Olympiad teams. New Zealand organiser (the NZ Geographical Society) has begun to plan for the next event in Cologne between 21 and 27 August, 2012.

Apart from the richness of the cultural exchange, the highlights of the Taipei trip included visiting Taipei 101 (the second tallest building in the world), working in the Guandu wetland, conducting GPS fieldwork in the Yehuli National Park and visiting the Karoko National Park on an overnight field trip.