Eve Waddington
Maths and Statistics Tuition
Online and in-person tuition from a former math Olympian and Ivy League Alumna with 20 years of tutoring experience.
All ages and abilities welcome.
021 0222 0392
eve.waddington@gmail.com
Maths and Me
I've worked as a private maths and statistics tutor for 20 years, with students in New Zealand, Australia, and the US. I offer online sessions for students based in New Zealand and Australia, and in-person sessions for Christchurch-based students.
Growing up, I always enjoyed mathematics. However, I didn't realise I had an unusually strong natural ability until I was sixteen, when I walked onto the 2004 New Zealand International Mathematical Olympiad Team despite having no prior training. That same year, I featured in the TVNZ documentary "The Other Olympiad", about the six members of the New Zealand team and our journey to the IMO in Greece. The following year, I was again selected for the NZIMO team to compete in Mexico. (My 2004 IMO report is available on the NZIMO website to read here)
My success in high school maths competitions, combined with NCEA scholarships in five subjects, and extra-curriculars including competitive horse-riding and music, led to admission to Princeton University with full financial aid.
Nassau Hall, Princeton University, 2007
I was subsequently awarded multiple PhD scholarships in Statistics at leading universities worldwide, including full scholarships to several Ivy League universities, Duke, and the Prince of Wales Scholarship to Cambridge. However, I instead decided to stay put in New Zealand to focus on growing my tutoring business - and go to Law School on the side! After adding an LLB to my degree collection, I was admitted to the NZ Bar in 2024. ​
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Meanwhile, my tutoring business has continued to expand, with an increased focus on Olympiad Maths and Adult education, alongside High School Maths, Statistics and Calclus.
The NZIMO team in Greece, 2004.
(I'm in the back row on the right)
At Princeton University, I continued to excel in mathematics, taking 200- and 300-level courses as a freshman. Highlights included gaining an A+ in a course taught by the renowned mathematician John Conway, and being the only female selected to the Princeton team to travel to Bulgaria for the International Mathematics Competition - the university equivalent of the IMO. Outside academics, I continued my passion for horse riding as a member of the Princeton University Equestrian Team - even competing at the Ivy League Championships.
Halfway through my degree at Princeton, health issues prompted a move back to NZ, where I ultimately completed my math studies at Auckland University, followed by degrees in Psychology and Statistics. My Psychology honours dissertation focused on educational psychology, while my Master's in Statistics focused on stochastic processes.​
Bar Admission Ceremony, Christchurch High Court
​I now reside in Christchurch, close to my hometown of Geradine. I grew up a country girl who spent each day after school riding horses, then competing on the weekends. With an artist father and horse-mad mother, I did not have the typical upbringing of a future math Olympian, with little formal maths study until I started High School. However, I credit a childhood full of outdoor play and creativity for developing the type of playful curiosity I bring to solving maths problems. To me, pure maths is much more of an art than a science. While the adrenaline rush of finally solving a tricky maths problem is on par with whizzing around a show-jumping arena.