Scholarships, Awards and Other Achievements

Big smiles, exciting opportunities!  Congratulations to our 7 postgraduate mentors who received prestigious scholarships: 3 FRST Te Tipu Pūtaiao PhD Fellowships, 2 VUW PhD Scholarships, 1 Vice Chancellors’ Strategic PhD scholarship, 1 FRST Postdoctoral Fellowship.

Congratulations to Sione who graduated with a PhD in Mathematics on Tuesday 12 December 2011!

Cheque it out!! Āwhina being awarded the cash! Thanks PricewaterhouseCoopers!

Recently, Hautahi was awarded one of nine PricewaterhouseCoopers Foundation Volunteer awards.

Hautahi is a part-time Analyst in the Wellington office of PricewaterhouseCoopers and has been a member of Te Rōpū Āwhina whanau for over four years. He mentors younger Maori and Pacific science students.

Hautahi is also involved in outreach programmes in the community such as visiting schools, holding seminars and producing booklets for aspiring science students. He has given speeches at Te Papa and has appeared on television promoting the goals of Te Rōpu Āwhina.

And check Hautahi’s profile out at the Career Services website:

http://www2.careers.govt.nz/7348.html

A big year for Ben (Faculty of Engineering Āwhina Mentor)!!

First a Foundation for Research, Science and Technology Te Tipu Pūtaiao PhD Fellowship in Electronics and Computer Systems Engineering and now he has been awarded the best novice presenter prize for: Life Sign Detection on a Disposable Robotic Platform as Part of a Three-Tier System for Urban Search and Rescue Operations (B.M.M. Drayton, and D.A. Carnegie) at the sixteenth Electronics New Zealand Conference (ENZCon 2009), recently held at the University of Otago.

Looking cool in a suit with big smiles all around.

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Āwhina alumni receives an Innovation Icon Award

Āwhina whanau congratulates Dr. Adele Whyte (Ngāti Kahungunu, Whakatōhea) who recently received one of seven Innovation Icon Awards, at the Atamira Innovation Summit dinner, in recognition of her work with Māori communities. 

Adele was nominated for the award by Āwhina whanau as we believe she has made an extraordinary contribution to our success and deserved recognition outside of the whanau. Adele is the first “Āwhina-grown” academic staff member in the School of Biological Sciences. 

Adele receives her Innovation Icon Award from the Minister for Māori Affairs - Dr Pita Sharples and the Minister of Pacific Islands Affairs and the Associate Minister for Māori Affairs - Georgina te Heuheu.

Photo courtesy of Nikorima Thatcher
Apirana Mahuika with Lesley

Congratulations to Lesley for receiving a "Ngarimu VC & 28th Maori Battalion Memorial Doctoral Scholarship" of $25,000 to complete her PhD. Her smile says it all! Lesley is doing her PhD to "add academic weight to the marine research wants and needs of iwi/hapu groups".

Welcome to Mele who joins husband Sione as an Awhina postgraduate. Mele took her hoodie along with her to a BRCSS conference in Auckland.

Photo courtesy of Mark McGuinness

Congratulations to Sione for completing his MSc in Maths and for securing an excellent scholarship for his PhD. Fellow mentors say "Hope you enjoyed the bubbly after the photoshoot".

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Photo courtesy of "The Hutt News"

Congratulations to SGEES mentor Xenia for receiving a Rotary Club Goal Setters Award of $2,000! Studying native snails has been a long time passion of Xenia's. Snails are also environmental markers. Xenia is using her GIS skills to produce computerised databases to streamline her research and contribute to a better understanding of New Zealand's ecology.

2006 ESR Porirua Pacific Islands Forum Gugumatua Award recipients
24 August, 2006

Undergraduate Āwhina mentors and mentees were the recipients of the inaugural ESR Gugumatua Awards for Pacific students enrolled in science and technology undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. These Awards were funded by the Institute of Environmental Science & Research Ltd (ESR), based at the Kenepuru Science Centre, Porirua as part of its initiative, headed by Maui Hudson (Māori Development Manager), to build relationships with Pacific communities.

Recipients received their cheques and certificates from ESR Strategic Manager, Dr Val Orchard, at a Science and Technology Promotion evening hosted by the Porirua Pacific Islands Forum at Pataka. Over 100 people from the seven Porirua Pacific Islands communities attended to acknowledge and celebrate the successes of their students.

Staff and students from the ESR, Whitireia Community Polytechnic and the Faculties of Science and Architecture and Design at Victoria University of Wellington provided displays of their work and experiments that participants could do and highlighted career opportunities for Pacific peoples within their organisations.

Dr Val Orchard (back left) and Dr Ian Welch (front left) with eight of the Gugumatua Award recipients. Big smiles and thanks to ESR and the Porirua Pacific community.

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Scholarship Recipients
4 October, 2005

Āwhina students, Shaun, Matthew, and Stacey have won the Unisys 2005 Scholarships in Computer Science for Māori and Pacific Nations students. Previous recipients were Nick, Tim, Ben, Atilua, Jeremy, and Mike.

The scholarships were established in 2003 to support Māori and Pacific Nations students enrolled in their second year of a computer science degree at Victoria University. The students were chosen primarily for their academic achievement, longer-term goals and aspirations, and community input.

The scholarships valued at $5000 each provided all recipients with financial assistance and encouragement. They also strengthen Te Ropu Awhina Pūtaiao, the Faculties of Science, Architecture and Design whanau support for their Māori and Pacific Nations students.

From left to right: Matthew, Shaun and Stacey - the 2005 recipients of the Unisys Scholarships in Computer Science for Maori and Pacific Nations students.

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