Tongan, Laumanu Mafi was named the winner of the First Overall Pacific Business Student of the Year Award along with Chris Carrington who won the First Maori Prize, at the University of Auckland.

The inaugural competition saw entries from students across Business Schools and eight finalists presented speeches at the Fale Pasifika on 15 October in front of judges, staff, students and families.

Laumanu the 2013 Dux of Tonga High School is currently a Bachelor of Commerce student majoring in economics and finance at the University of Auckland won the First Overall Pacific prize of $1,000 dollars.

She is able to study after receiving a New Zealand Pacific Scholarship funded by the New Zealand Government.

“I want to use my degree to get a good job to financially support my two younger siblings in Tonga. They are not guaranteed a scholarship so I want to be ready to financially support them when they finish high school so that they can get the same high quality university education that I am so blessed to have,” she said.

Laumanu also wants to act as a mentor to high school students to show them it is possible to come from a small island and achieve great things “when you put your heart and mind into it.”

“There are a lot of young talented Pacific and Maori students out there who need to join this competition next year. It's an amazing opportunity to get to know like-minded individuals with similar backgrounds, each with their own unique and amazing experience. I strongly recommend they apply.”