The Teschemaker Cup is awarded to an outstanding old boy achiever annually, and Mr Sovaleni’s name will appear on the trophy as the school’s first prime minister or head of government.
Timaru Boys’ High School Old Boys Association president Kevin O’Sullivan said the Tongan Prime Minister attended the school in 1988 on a Pacific Scholarship and made an impact as a scholar and sportsman.
His academic ability was recognised when he was proxime accessit (runner up to the dux) in the academic awards of 1988, and he gained top awards in mathematics, physics and English.
Mr Sovaleni would go on to greater academic success, graduating from Auckland, Oxford (UK) and South Pacific Universities.
Mr O’Sullivan said Mr Sovaleni was also a towering figure in the 1988 TBHS First XV.
Mr Sovaleni and three other Tongan pupils boarded at the school’s hostel, Thomas House, where he was popularly known as George.
He became Prime Minister of Tonga in December 2021, and before that, was deputy prime minister for three years.
Previous awardees of the Teschemaker Cup include eight All Blacks, seven Olympians, several artists and a number of community leaders.
