NZ Scholarship Geography case studies
NZ Scholarship Geography · Put your knowledge to work in context.
NZ Scholarship Geography is the New Zealand Scholarship-level assessment in geography, administered by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) for secondary students who have already shown strong performance in the subject and want to be tested beyond Level 3 NCEA expectations. It is a stand-alone award rather than a credit-counting qualification: candidates are assessed on whether they can think geographically at a high level, not merely recall content. The NZ Scholarship Geography case studies are 5 cases and about 2,964 words.
1Weighing wind: a GIS overlay for a community wind farm
A regional development agency uses a GIS suitability model to choose between two sites for a three-turbine community wind farm. The model combines wind speed (40% weight), distance to the national grid (25%), land tenure (20%), and distance from residential areas (15%).
558 words, about 3 min2Sediment, stopbanks and a shrinking delta
A river catchment of 3,800 km² flows through a town of 6,500 people. A proposed stopbank upgrade costs 14.5 million, raises protection from a 1-in-50-year to a 1-in-200-year standard, and protects 220 properties.
567 words, about 3 min3A stadium or a suburb? Contested waterfront land
A city council owns a 4.2 ha waterfront site valued at 28 million. Proposal A is a 12,000-seat covered stadium with a capital cost of 185 million, projected to create 300 full-time-equivalent jobs and attract 180,000 visitor-nights a year.
568 words, about 3 min4Hold the line or retreat? A coastal community after the storm
A west coast settlement of 340 permanent residents and 900 holiday homes sits on a 2.5 km sand spit. A storm in 2023 eroded 12 m in one night, damaging six properties and the only access road.
657 words, about 3 min5The bypass that might empty a town
A new 18 km highway bypass will open in 18 months around a rural town of 1,900 people. The highway currently carries 9,800 vehicles a day through the main street; 22% of those stop and spend an estimated 4.1 million a year in the town.
614 words, about 3 min