Transcript
APRIL HENDERSON: So the Teresia Teaiwa Memorial Scholarship Fund is designed to support future students of Pacific studies, both at the under-graduate and the post-graduate level. So the aspiration is to be able to support, ideally one under-graduate student and one PhD level student per year, to be able to award a scholarship for one of each, each year into the future. Of course it will really depend on how successful we are with the appeal. That there is such an amazing outpouring of support both for Teresia and her memory and her legacy, but also for the programme that she founded and created here at Victoria University, which is our Pacific Studies programme.
DOMINIC GODFREY: So this scholarship, what are the parameters of study?
AH: It will be awarded to students of Pacific ancestry, Pasifika ancestry, either studying at an under-graduate level or a post-graduate level, probably a PhD level. So students of Pasifika ancestry who are doing a qualification in Pacific Studies. So usually a student will be doing Pacific Studies as an additional attractive qualification that will enhance their career prospects in the job market so, the student can be doing any other qualification along side their Pacific Studies qualification but they need to be enrolled in Pacific Studies as an under-graduate major. At the post-graduate level the student will be enrolling in a PhD in Pacific Studies with us here at the Pacific Studies programme in Va'aomanu Pasifika.
DG: So will students from the Pacific, Pasifika students beyond New Zealand, be eligible?
AH: The scholarship as we envisioned it and as I envision and understand it is open to students of indigenous Pacific ancestry whether that be a student who is of Pasifika ancestry raised in New Zealand or currently in New Zealand, or a student from the Pacific Islands. Either would be welcomes.
DG: What level of academic qualification will be necessary? How does one qualify for the scholarship?
AH: Well the student of course would be subject to the normal enrolment requirements of Victoria University but the scholarship will be something that could then potentially take care of their funding.
DG: How many of these scholarships each year are you anticipating? Will it be one under-graduate and one post-grad?
AH: That is our aspiration. so as you understand, we are just launching the appeal now. We've been absolutely thrilled to have some early and quite generous donators already and that's before we actual have even had the launch event. So as I understand it, in the lead-up to the launch event we already have enough in the memorial fund to fund an under-graduate student for the three years of under-graduate which is thrilling. [laughs] The appeal letters will be going out after the actual launch event next Tuesday and so our aspiration is to be able to award an under-graduate scholarship every year and the, dependent of course on applicants, be able to award a PhD scholarship each year, but of course this is dependent on the funds coming in.
Dr April Henderson who was speaking to Dominic Godfrey says it's the university's aspiration to have the fund endowed to have the first scholarship awarded for the 2019 academic year.
The scholarship fund is being launched next week. (4:45pm, Tuesday 26 September)
