Whanganui High School International
🌏🏆 FROM WHANGANUI TO THE WORLD STAGE – TOP 5 IN THE WORLD! 🇳🇿🇨🇳
What an extraordinary achievement! Whanganui High School Year 12 student Lulu Dufty has been crowned Oceania Champion and ranked 5th in the world at the prestigious Chinese Bridge Chinese Proficiency Competition in China!
Competing against 120 students from over 100 countries, Lulu's success is a remarkable achievement and a testament to her dedication, passion for languages and appreciation of other cultures.
A special congratulations also to our International Dean and Chinese language teacher, Mr Beck Ding, who received a teacher's award in recognition of his work.
đź‘Ź We couldn't be prouder of Lulu and Mr Ding! What an incredible achievement for Whanganui High School, our community and New Zealand!
River City Press Whanganui
 ͏Lulu ranked fifth in the world in Chinese proficiency competition
Lulu Dufty, a Year 12 student at Whanganui High School, recently ranked fifth in the world and No. 1 in Oceania at the 19th Chinese Bridge Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign Secondary School Students, held in Tianjin Municipality, China, over 14 days in September.
Lulu’s journey as part of the “Chinese Bridge” project began on 23 May 2026 when she took part in the Wellington regional final at the Confucius Institute on the campus of Victoria University of Wellington. She earned the judges' approval with her fluent Chinese, confident delivery, and talent, winning first place in the senior category and earning the chance to represent New Zealand at the international competition in China.
One-hundred-and-twenty teenage Chinese-language enthusiasts from over 100 countries took part, competing over successive rounds with speeches and a singing performance. Lulu sang “Lemon Tree” in Chinese, followed by a ten-minute Q&A, on-stage puzzles, and maths tasks. The teenagers were judged on their comprehensive abilities, not only language.
The competition also included a written test, not in an air-conditioned hall but outside with rows of desks in 30-degree heat. Competitors also wore their national costumes, often heavy. It tested endurance, concentration and language skills.
“Full costume, no shade for two hours”, says Beck Ding, Whanganui High School’s Dean of International Students. Lulu’s father, Jason Dufty, accompanied Lulu to the competition.
Jason said, “We are extremely proud of Lulu’s achievements throughout this competition. Despite being the proverbial kiwi underdog (most competitors travelled with their Chinese tutors and had help on tap, and Oceania is historically the “weakest” of the five continents), Lulu progressed further than any of us had envisioned.
“This culminated in three consecutive 16-hour days, where she had to learn new speeches and prepare for new question sessions, whilst being filmed under blazing hot TV studio lights! She did this calmly and with an unflappable demeanour.
“But ultimately, the greatest prize for us as parents was in her experience of meeting people from around the world and making long lasting cultural connections.”
Over the course of the competition, Lulu made her way through the rounds, qualifying in the top 30, then the top 15, and finally the top five: qualifiers, semis and finals.
Beck Ding says, “Whanganui High School is very proud. This competition tests not only Chinese language proficiency. It involves a lot of other skills.”
Lulu admitted that at times she felt overwhelmed by the tasks ahead of her at the competition, like having to write and learn a speech overnight, but she says, “I like the challenge. Chinese is really hard to learn.”
She appreciates more than the language; she appreciates the culture, too, adding, “I just love the history of it and seeing how people live so differently.”
Lulu has been successful in the past, winning first place in the junior category of the regional “Chinese Bridge” Speech Competition in 2024 and being named a New Zealand Chinese Language Week Youth Ambassador for the year. From this year’s competition, Lulu has won a full, all-expenses-paid scholarship at a university of her choice in China to continue learning the Chinese language.
Older sister Billie Dufty has also had success, attending the international event last year. But 2026 is about Lulu, and Billie is rightfully proud of her younger sister’s achievement.
This was the last time Lulu was eligible for the event, but as she excels in a range of other aspects of school, sport, the arts, and academia, we will no doubt hear about Lulu again.
Pictured: Beck Ding and Lulu Dufty with her awards. Beck received a teacher’s award, which now sits in a pride of place in his classroom.
25/10/26