Student showcase

Malcolm Birdling has been on the Royal Society of New Zealand Young Achievers’ database for a number of years now.  In 1999 he was selected by the Royal Society to attend The ANZAAS conference. (Australian New Zealand Association Advancement of Science).

Here is the latest up-date on him

Oxford bound

Nine centuries of learning and tradition await alumnus Malcolm Birdling when he takes up a prestigious Rhodes Scholarship at Oxford University in October.

Malcolm, who holds a BA in Political Science and an LLB with First Class Honours, will undertake a Bachelor of Civil Law degree at Oxford, studying comparative public law and human rights, as well as jurisprudence, political and constitutional theory.

“I’m still a bit overwhelmed but really looking forward to living and studying in a place with such history.”

Rhodes Scholarships are extremely competitive and constitute the pinnacle of achievement for students wishing to pursue postgraduate study at one of the worlds’ leading universities.

Malcolm says the application process was ‘gruelling’. The final panel interview, at Government House, was carried out by the Governor-General, the Hon Dame Silvia Cartwright, Reserve Bank Governor, Dr Alan Bollard, professors from several universities and a prominent lawyer.

“It was easily the most daunting interview I’ve ever had, being extensively questioned by some of the most powerful people in New Zealand.”

Malcolm attended Upper Hutt’s Heretaunga College, where he was Dux in 1998. He has been actively involved in community work in Upper Hutt for many years and is also an accomplished debater.

“That’s going to be a real highlight of attending Oxford, getting involved in the debating society, which is famous around the world for the calibre of speakers it attractd, which have included our former Prime Minister, David Lange.”

After completing the Bachelor’s degree, Malcolm would like to proceed to a Master of Philosophy in public law, as he intends to teach and practice in this area on his return to New Zealand

Editorial sourced with permission from Victorious, Victoria University of Wellington