Samuel Paton, 16, said he was "flabbergasted" when he found out he was accepted to go to the International Summer Youth Science Forum in London in July.
The only catch was he had to fundraise $10,000 for flights and pay to be at the forum.
"When I got in I was so excited until I saw the cost of the course and then I was bumped back down to reality," Samuel said.
He said when he found out about the cost he thought about turning the opportunity down because he did not see a way forward.
However, after speaking to his dean and principal he decided it was not an opportunity that could be turned down.
Samuel reached out to Waitaki District Mayor Garry Kircher and received a donation towards the trip and is looking for other organisations to fund him as well.
He would also be selling firewood from his parents’ farm to raise money and will start a GoFundMe page for the community to contribute.
Samuel said because of small-town syndrome he and his peers never thought trips like the one he was planning would be possible.
"My dream is to show other students at my school and other rural schools that you don't have to go to big schools to push for your own excellence and achieve at a high level," he said.
At the forum Samuel would have the opportunity to listen to leading scientists from around the world like Yale University Prof James Rothman and visit prestigious universities like Oxford and Cambridge.
