Hey man,

So from my experience (I participated in a lot of competitions and did quite well in them), there are definitely a wide range of competitions and if you win any of them, it is likely to be beneficial for your application, but there are always a few stand-out competitions which are very prestigious mainly because

1. History - it’s been around for a long time so both universities and teachers know about it and respect it.
2. Sponsors - it’s sponsored/funded by legit/prestigious organisations
3. Lots of students/schools participate in it
4. Connection to an international level (e.g FedEx International Trade Challenge)

There are many different competition structures and here are the competitions which are generally thought of as the most prestigious and recognised in New Zealand for each category.

Entrepreneurship - Young Enterprise Scheme (been around for very long, very solid sponsors, nearly every school in NZ participates, solid awards including university scholarships and generous award money)

Economics - New Zealand Economics Competition (been around for very long, run by the UoA Economics Professors, about 3000 participants across NZ every year, generous award money)

Team/Case Competition - Monetary Policy Challange (been around for very long, run by the Reserve Bank of NZ, very competitive rounds and national finals are held in Wellington, generous award money/internship opportunities)

Social Entrepreneurship - The New Zealand Environmental Entrepreneurship Competition (relatively new compared to other competitions, generous sponsors, unique and innovative structure)

Also, consider CETA - Accounting and Economics Pursuits Competition (if you’re Auckland based).