Looking for a good laptop that will last for a student

[Geekernatir]

I am looking for a laptop to have as a student. I am doing a science major next year and I want a laptop that will do my research/browsing/data analysis needs. I want to make sure that this laptop will not slow down over the 3 years of my degree.
I live in New Zealand and am looking to spend up to NZD$ 2k, would prefer if under 1.5k, however longevity is very important to me. My university is a decent walk away so I want something fairly light.
I do not need a gaming laptop (I already have a PC), however it would be cool if it could maybe run Civ VI, Overwatch or some other mid level games to play with friends if I need the portability. I also want to have it start up really fast, however I am happy to swap out a HDD for an SSD if necessary, just as long as that is possible.
Not looking for crazy screen specs, probably just an 1080p IPS display. In the amount of research I have done so far into the subject, most higher end laptops seem to have the dual core 6500U of the quad 6700HQ, however the HQ seems to be only in gaming laptops with a discrete GPU, is it worth it for the extra horsepower to go to the 6700HQ?

Any responses are highly appreciated, thanks!

TL;DR:
Want a laptop for a science degree:
Will work for research/data analysis for 3 years
Ability to swap out HDD for an SSD
Maybe be able to play some games at OK frames/settings.
1080p display is all I need
Light
Under 2k NZD (preferably not above 1.5k)

 

[Zemrak]

You should buy Asus Zenbook UX30. It is the most affordable and excellent Ultrabook. Asus ZenBook UX305 is one of the best Ultrabooks you can buy at the moment considering the low price-point. With a full HD screen, a whole 8GB of RAM and up to 512GB of SSD storage, the Asus ZenBook UX305 is a steal.
Like the Dell XPS 13 listed below, this is further proof that you can find a truly primo, general use laptop for less than a thousand bucks. The ZenBook UX305 is an honest-to-goodness laptop, presented in an attractive package, that takes home the gold when it comes to exhibiting the basics.