The 18-year-old's artwork was created using coloured pencils and features a Rubik's cube on top of a comic book.
She said it was part of her NCEA level 3 art portfolio which had a ''retro'' theme.
''It's a scene you might see on the coffee table of a 1970s or 1980s house.
''I wasn't actually alive then, so it was good to have my parents' and other people's input and advice.''
Kate said the artwork was the latest in her bid to make her art more and more realistic.
''Over the years I've been challenging myself.
''I would take an image and look at every fine detail to try and get it as accurate as possible.
''A lot of time went into this one, trying to get the right shading and reflection.
''I really wanted to get the focus right as well. The top of the image is slightly out of focus so that the Rubik's cube stands out more.''
Kate said she now has a dilemma about what to do next year.
She loves art but she also loves graphics, which she has studied for the past two years.
''With art, it can branch into quite a lot of different things. And with graphics, that can go into interior design which I want to look into a bit more.''
So next year she plans to take a gap year, before deciding which career to pursue.
In the meantime, she will work to help raise money for her tertiary study.
