Fellowship enables Designers to travel and research

New Churchill Fellowship enables Designers to travel and research internationally

Partnership expands leadership development fellowship opportunities

From 2015 New Zealand designers can apply for a Churchill Fellowship every two years to travel overseas to gain insights and forge relationships. This new award is the result of a partnership agreement between the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust (WCMT) and the Hawkes Bay Design Trust (HBDT). It will sponsor a Fellowship for a designer to gain international experience in product or industrial design. Interested designers should review the requirements for current Churchill Fellowships applicants, which will be similar for this award, on http://www.communitymatters.govt.nz/Funding-and-grants---Trust-and-fellowship-grants---New-Zealand-Winston-Churchill-Memorial-Trust. Further details will be available on the website in February 2015 in time for the first applications due on 31 July 2015.

HBDT Chair, internationally acclaimed furniture designer David Trubridge, said, “Our Board is delighted to have concluded this MOU with the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust. We regard this as a long term partnership which will provide immense stimulation for product and industrial designers.

“World-class design does not happen in isolation,” added David. “To produce exceptional work our designers need to be exposed and engaged with ideas and relationships from the best international designers. This Fellowship gives young designers an opportunity to experience other studios and design facilities, perhaps innovations in design processes or specialisations that exists only in particular places. The inspiration and stimulation of this kind of international exposure can last for someone’s entire career, as well as contributing knowledge to the local industry.”

The HBDT has been supporting new and emerging designers since it began in 2002. Its initial focus was the innovative Cicada Works programme, providing young designers with somewhere to work, access to design and business mentoring services and facilitating opportunities with local manufacturing industries. The HBDT is supported by sponsorship from Furnware Limited, David Trubridge Limited and Pan Pac Forest Products.

“This is a great example of how our Trust can provide a vehicle for organisations seeking to support leadership development and innovation in specialist fields, ” WCMT Chair, Rachael Selby said.

In 2013 the first partnered Fellowship, the Winston Churchill McNeish Writer’s Fellowship was awarded. These two sponsored Fellowships provide different examples of how WCMT is working in partnership with others wanting to either make an endowment of a capital lump sum or a regular cash contribution, either short term or long term, for focused Fellowships. The Trust welcomes enquiries about setting up other such partnerships (email: wcmt@dia.govt.nz).

“Partnerships, donations and bequests are vital to ensure Fellowships can be sustained and expanded for future generations,” said Ms Selby. “We receive more high quality applications than we are able to support.” More than 800 New Zealanders have had the opportunity to travel, learn and share new insights, knowledge and innovations since the Trust began in 1965. Yet the financial contribution the Trust is making to Fellows in 2014 is at a similar dollar amount to 25 years ago.

“This is a very exciting partnership for New Zealand’s young designers. Past Fellows I have met noted the importance of people-to-people links when carrying out their research projects. I am looking forward to seeing what innovative design solutions will result from this initiative,” says the Minister responsible for the Trust, Community and Voluntary Sector Minister Jo Goodhew.

For more information including Fellowship application guidelines, Fellow’s stories and reports, please visit the DIA’s Community Matters website.

ENDS

About the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust

Established as a living memorial to Sir Winston Churchill, the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust (NZ) has assets of NZ$2.5 million. Its primary function is to allocate Churchill Fellowships to help New Zealanders from all walks of life undertake investigative research projects overseas. Since its 1965 establishment with funds from both the government and the public it has awarded over 800 research fellowships. Fellows are granted up to 80 percent of travel costs and can spend between three weeks and three months overseas. Their field research must advance their occupation or field of interest and benefit New Zealand in some way. The average value of the grants awarded is $5,000 - $7000 and up to 15 fellowships are awarded each year. Churchill Fellowships also operate in Australia and the United Kingdom.

Previous Fellows include writers Sir James McNeish, the late Michael King, Lynley Hood and Jo Randerson, publisher Bridget Williams, lawyer Donna Hall, actress Miranda Harcourt, community advocates Robert Consedine, Dame Lesley Max and Kim Workman, former Governor General the Honourable Dame Catherine Tizard, researchers Professor Te Ahukaramū Charles Royal and Professor Linda Tuhiwai Smith, broadcasters Sharon Crosbie and Gareth Watkins, conservationist Geoff Chapple, dancer Michael Parmenter and artist Garry Nash.

The Trust’s patron is His Excellency Lieutenant General the Right Honourable Sir Jerry Mateparae, Governor-General of New Zealand. The Board members are Rachel Selby (chair), Graeme Hall (deputy), Len Cook, Peggy Fairbairn-Dunlop, Margy-Jean Malcolm, Professor Helen Nicholson, Bruce Robertson, Mary Schnackenberg, and Fiona Tregonning. The Trust reports to Parliament through the Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector. The Department of Internal Affairs provides the Trust with secretariat support.

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