Avcol students dominate Microsoft Champs

Excellence in digital mastery runs deep at Avondale College, and this year, three of our Innovation Academy students have once again dominated the NZ Microsoft Office Specialist Championships.

Karthik Padma (Year 11), Finn McGregor (Year 10), and Dominic Colaco (Year 9) secured first-place wins in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and Word, respectively—an outstanding accomplishment that not only strengthens their future prospects - it also earns them the opportunity to represent New Zealand at the World Championships in Florida next month.

Dominic, whose older sister encouraged him to participate in the competition, was stunned when he received a message congratulating him on his success. “As a Year 9, I wasn’t expecting much, especially competing against all year levels up to Year 13,” he said. “It was incredibly exciting.” He has dreams of studying software or mechanical engineering at University in the future, and hopes to visit NASA while in the US.

Karthik, who emerged as the overall New Zealand champion for Microsoft Excel, says his achievements have made him rethink his career aspirations. “I hadn’t thought about going into tech before," he shares, "but after this, I’m seriously considering engineering."

Finn confesses that, beyond the thrill of competition, he had another motivator for entering the competition: “Going to Disneyland was a major factor!”

Winning a national title from Microsoft, the tech giant behind some of the world’s most widely used applications, gives the students a significant edge and will be a real selling point on their CVs.

With only a week to prepare, the students showed remarkable proficiency in their exams, tackling real-world tasks such as creating tables, embedding media, and formatting graphics —skills that are vital in today’s digital landscape.

Their success builds on Avondale College's history of earning medal finishes at the national and international levels. Their achievements are a testament to the success of Avondale College’s Innovation Programme, which bridges the gap between ICT education and the digital marketplace. Through this initiative, students gain industry- recognised certifications in Microsoft, Adobe, Autodesk, and more—equipping them with skills that extend far beyond the classroom.

A huge congratulations to Karthik, Dominic, and Finn for their outstanding success, and a heartfelt thank you to Mr. Prasad and Mr. Ma for their invaluable guidance throughout this journey. We are also thrilled to have partnered with ACE Training as our new IT certification providers, ensuring that our students continue to have access to world- class learning and competition opportunities.

As our champions prepare to take on the world stage, we wish them all the best in Florida—where they’ll compete against the brightest minds in digital technology and, hopefully, make time for NASA and Disneyland along the way!