The Staples Education Foundation Scholarship (SEF) 2025 recipients were announced today at Dilworth’s Prize Giving 2024.
Each year, high-achieving Dilworth Year 13 school leavers - intending to study at any Auckland university - can apply for this prestigious scholarship, which is highly prized and hotly contested.
The key goals of the SEF Programme are to help students attain a tertiary qualification, secure full-time employment in a career of choice, and ultimately give back to society.
The tailor-made programme provides wrap-around support by pairing recipients with a mentor for three years and a buddy for their first year of study. Financial support and industry work experience through some of New Zealand’s top companies is also provided.
In 2025, the Staples Education Foundation Scholarship will have been running for an incredible 10 years, a significant commitment on behalf of Haydn Staples, the founder and driving force behind this transformative programme. A chartered accountant and highly successful entrepreneur, Haydn founded the SEF Scholarship because of his drive to make a meaningful contribution to society. He has done this by leveraging his considerable strengths and business networks and has brought many business partners on board to do the same. Haydn has personally interviewed nearly every student who has completed the programme.
The pass rate for Staples Education Foundation students studying at Auckland tertiary institutions is almost 100%, something Karen Bennett, SEF's General Manager, says they are incredibly proud of. She says the key ingredient is that SEF students know they are fully supported.
“SEF’s wrap-around support makes the difference – just the fact that students know someone else has their back and is there with them when the going (inevitably) gets tough.”
Many SEF Scholarship recipients have gone on to achieve remarkable success, and their inspiring stories are available to read on our website. This year, Dilworth Old Boy and SEF Scholarship recipient Thomas Swinburn added to this legacy by earning a nomination as a Rhodes Scholar—one of the most prestigious scholarships in the world. Established in 1903, the Rhodes Scholarship brings outstanding young people from around the world to study at the University of Oxford; to be successful, young people must have proven academic excellence and show exceptional character, leadership, and commitment to solving humanity’s challenges.
Accolades don’t get more significant than this, and both Dilworth and SEF are incredibly proud of Thomas, who will soon graduate with a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery, and Bachelor of Medical Science with first-class honours from Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland.
Many Dilworth Old Boys and past SEF recipients have gone on to become mentors, buddies, or work experience providers for current SEF students. General Manager Karen Bennett said it is incredibly inspiring to see past students supporting each other in this way.
SEF is currently seeking Engineers to mentor and support the 2025 cohort. If you want to become a mentor or can offer work experience opportunities, please contact Emma Zigan (e.zigan@dilworth.org.nz) in the first instance.
Dilworth is enormously grateful to SEF for partnering with us on this incredible programme.
Congratulations to the 2025 Recipients
Joshua Futi
Logan Gregory
Jacob Lee
Sonny Luong
Nathan Mapa
William Payne
James Shand
Brendon Tse
Link Zhu