Jimmy Carter Quiz 2026 blog3

It was a cold night, but the low temperature did not stop participants from making their way to Palmerston North Boys’ High School (PNBHS) College House to compete for the 2026 Jimmy Carter Quiz Trophy on 5 August.

Students from the 10 participating schools started arriving from 6 pm, and by 6:20 the room was packed with students, approximately 50 supporters, and around 20 Lions from the Middle Districts Lions Club. Apart from giving away an answer to a double-points question, Paul Otway was once again a great quizmaster. Of course, Paul will be forgiven, as he was still recovering from jet lag, but I am sure our tail-twister, who also happened to be at the quiz, will find a way to turn this little mishap into entertainment.

As in previous years, the quiz began with team introductions and then moved on to an audiovisual round of “heads or tails” true-or-false questions to warm up the students. The main quiz then began, with the first round being General Knowledge, followed by Science & Technology, Arts & Literature, Current Events, Guess the Picture, NZ History & Geography, Tricky Stuff, Football World Cup, Music, Movies & Pop Culture, and Maths. Before the half-time break, Awatapu was leading. After the break, round six proved pivotal for Horowhenua College, which chose it as their double-points round and scored 9 of the 11 points available, giving the team a handsome haul of 18 points, while most other schools scored 3 points or fewer in that round. Other schools were not able to recover, even with double points in the second-to-last round.

At the end of round 10, there was a clear winner. Horowhenua College, the 2025 winners, achieved back-to-back victories, finishing 5 points clear of runner-up Palmerston North Girls’ High School. The post-Don Brown era has been characterised by repeated wins: PNGHS from 2022 to 2024, and now Horowhenua College in 2025 and 2026. Most teams maintain a progression of students through the years, and I suppose that when you have a strong team of quizzers, they can establish dominance for a few years, as we have seen recently. Horowhenua College was runner-up in 2024 and has since consolidated the top spot with its current team of knowledgeable quizzers. The team captain put our quizmaster on the spot when Paul promised “a trip around the world” if the student answered some obscure facts about the naming of the city of Bern correctly. “You better be careful; you asked me the same question two years ago, and I know the answer,” Paul was told by Harrison— I have never seen a lion backtrack as fast since I saw a lion tamer at the circus!

Prize-giving was led by President Roy Milne and featured books carefully selected by Louisa from Bruce McKenzie Booksellers. All schools received a copy of Ocean Book: The Stories, the Science and History of Oceans, and the top three schools also received books on Shackleton, New Zealand photography, and wildlife. The feedback from the schools was positive, and several noted how happy the students were with the quiz and the spot prizes. I have received a couple of good ideas from the teachers, which will be put into practice in 2027. I welcome feedback from the Lions who attended, so please send me your ideas for the quiz.

Thanks to all the Lions who put their paws up to lend a hand. The quiz preparation takes time, but all that effort is rewarded by seeing the youngsters smiling and having a good time, and by seeing club members turn out in large numbers on the night. Our club continue to be extremely fortunate to have the support of PNBHS with the venue and catering, and they always make us feel at home.

Now, the “Jimmy Carter Quiz” box goes back into storage until this time in 2027, when I expect another great edition of the quiz.

Horowhenua College team (Years 9 to 13): Travis Henderson, Liubava Lugova, Ashlee West, Elissa Westerby, Harrison McQuillan

PN Girls’ High School team (Years 9 to 13): Ileana Carden, Michaela Taiuru, Charlotte Moss, Hazel Murray, Chloe Fletcher

PN Boys’ High School team (Years 9 to 13): Hridaansh Chettri, Cary Zhao, Grayson Parlane, Cody Clark, Dylan Tyler-Hirst