Well done to Isabelle Ning (Year 12) and Sophie Xu (Year 11), who represented New Zealand at the European Girls' Mathematical Olympiad (EGMO) in Bordeaux, France, over the recent school holidays. This was the second time the pair had been a part of the New Zealand team for this event, after participating in the 2025 edition held in Kosovo.

 

EGMO is a prestigious European mathematics competition for high school female students who enjoy mathematics beyond the regular school curriculum. Participation is by invitation only, with each country nominating up to four students for their representative team. Having two students from Kristin on the team of just four is quite remarkable. 

 

Both girls were awarded Honourable Mentions in what is understandably a tough international competition, and Isabelle secured the highest score within the New Zealand team. 

 

“I went into the competition just wanting to have fun, but throughout this experience, I realised just how much maths matters to me, which is something new that I learnt about myself. I’ve always liked it a lot, but by immersing myself in other girls who like maths, I’ve discovered that it’s a big part of my life that I always want to enjoy.

 

“The entire experience was enjoyable for me - tackling challenging maths problems, meeting new friends, exploring a new country, and everything in between,” says Isabelle. 

 

“By participating with like-minded students, I’ve learnt about maths from their perspectives, and the ways they grow the mathematical community in their country. From running competitions themselves to participating in discussions, they have motivated me to extend this family of my own to more people,” says Sophie. 

 

Both Isabelle and Sophie have also been selected for the 15-strong New Zealand training squad for the 2026 International Mathematical Olympiad, to be held in Shanghai, China, from July 10-20, 2026. These 15 students from across the country will be whittled down to a final team of six who will travel to China for the competition, which will be announced in the coming weeks. 

 

Congratulations, Isabelle and Sophie, on your amazing achievements.