Prowess in developing an app to encourage locals to put the brakes on driving to work or school has earned Arturo Neale an Outstanding Scholarship from the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA).
One of just nine technology students across the country to receive the award on 12 February, Arturo scored 22 out of 24 marks and is now geared up for his tertiary studies with the $500 prize.
Working with the team behind Swap One - an initiative steered by the Nelson Tasman Climate Forum to promote low‑carbon commuting - Arturo rode solo as the lead programmer for its app, launched in September 2025.
He wrote “thousands of lines of code”, designed interfaces, tested for bugs, and produced a “massive report” as part of his scholarship submission.
The Nelson College Year 13 student says the 500 hours of dedication to the project was worth the momentum.
“I managed to build an app which is working, has had no reliability issues, which is just so much harder than it looks,” he says.
“I think probably what I’m most proud of is that I'm making an impact. I’m saving a big amount of carbon… about 250 to 300 people have signed up, and we've saved somewhere along the lines of 6000 kilos of carbon dioxide being released.”
