FACTBOX:

Clutha Primary Schools 2026 Mathalon frontrunners

Year 5:

1. Clutha Valley Pi-rates

2. Warepa Number Ninjas

3. Rosebank One

Year 6:

1. Clutha Valley AlgeBros

2. BPS Hexagons

3. Kai Gold

Year 7:

1. Rosebank Four

2. Clutha Valley Calculators

3. BPS Parallelograms / Waiwera Speedy Smarts / Warepa Maths Mavericks

Year 8:

1. Clutha Valley Digits

2. Rosebank Six

3. Kai Calculators

 

Think of a number, add 18, then divide by 4 to get an answer of 12.

What was the original number?*

Balclutha Primary School (BPS) mathletes Aubree Watt, 10, Marama Pearson, 9, Rokus Ootes, 9 and Jonty Inglis, 10, mustered nerves and excitement to answer a series of such questions, for their first Clutha schools’ Mathalon at TPŌMA on Wednesday, August 19.

The novice team said they had practised a little at school, before taking on dozens of other competitors to place fourth in their year 5 competition.

‘‘It was a great day, with a lot of kids having a fantastic time,’’ BPS teacher Linda Swallow said.

‘‘The markers were impressed with the maths skills, the teamwork and the great manners showed by the students.

“They were all a credit to their schools.”

The following day, in Dunedin, the Clutha Valley and BPS year 6 teams went on to place 3rd and 5th respectively at the Otago Mathalon, Mrs Swallow said.

(*And the answer? 30)