Twelve Outstanding Students Win Scholarships

News Release 4 August 2008

Twelve Outstanding Students Win Scholarships

Twelve of New Zealand’s outstanding young people have been awarded the prestigious William Georgetti Scholarships, it was announced today by the New Zealand Vice-Chancellors’ Committee (NZVCC) and Public Trust. The awards for 2008 total $276,000. The Scholarships are managed by Public Trust and administered by the NZVCC.

The William Georgetti Scholarship is awarded to encourage postgraduate study and research in a field which, in the opinion of the scholarship board, is important to the social, cultural and economic development of New Zealand. Mr Georgetti desired “that the best brains available shall receive the benefit of this trust”.

The winners for 2008 are:
• Jeffery Azzato Victoria University to Technische Universiteit in Eindhoven; $45,000 over three years
• Sophie Curtis-Ham University of Canterbury to the University of Liverpool; $45,000 for one year
• Andrew Durant Victoria University; $9,000 for one year
• Pablo German University of Auckland; $15,000 over three years
• Kimberly Good University of Auckland to Massey University, Auckland; $30,000 over three years
• Simon Kellett Victoria University to Cambridge University; $2,000 for one year
• Jessica Kerr Victoria University to Yale University, $4,000 for one year
• Jessica Lai Victoria University; $10,000 for one year
• Lauren Lindsay University of Auckland to the European University Institute, Florence; $45,000 for one year
• Michelle Menzies University of Auckland to the University of Chicago; $30,000 over three years
• Paul Paterson University of Auckland to Harvard University, $6,000 for one year
• Rebecca Prebble Victoria University to Columbia University; $35,000 for one year

The scholarships were established from the residue of the estate of William Georgetti who died in 1943.
Mr Georgetti instructed that a perpetual charitable trust be established for the purpose of funding scholarships. During his lifetime, Mr Georgetti ran Crissoge Farm, near Hastings. He believed that “whatever fluctuations there may be in prices for primary produce and in land values and whatever vicissitudes the said Dominion may pass through, farming land will always be the most stable asset in which to invest money”. In keeping with Mr Georgetti’s wishes, the trust still holds all 125.5ha of Crissoge Farm; currently leased as eight orchards. The rental income from the orchards, along with other investments, funds the William Georgetti Scholarships.

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The William Georgetti Scholarship is one of over 40 scholarships awarded each year by the NZVCC. These include graduate awards such as the Claude McCarthy Fellowship, Commonwealth Scholarships, the New Zealand Law Foundation Ethel Benjamin Prize, Pukehou Pouto Scholarship and the Woolf Fisher Scholarships. Undergraduate awards managed by the NZVCC include the Douglas Myers Scholarship, Girdlers’ Scholarship and the Kitchener Memorial Scholarship. The funding for a number of these NZVCC Scholarships is managed by Public Trust.

The William Georgetti Scholarships are awarded by the Scholarship Board which comprises the Governor-General, the Prime Minister, the Chief Justice, two people of academic distinction and the President of Federated Farmers; or their nominees.

The William Georgetti Scholarship is one of over 400 charitable trusts (including a number of scholarships) managed by Public Trust. These trusts and scholarships include interests as diverse as science, medicine, disability and agriculture. Collectively, the trusts provide the means for many people to live better lives, enhance their skills or enjoy better community facilities.

Public Trust chief executive Grenville Gaskell said, “Twelve outstanding New Zealand students have been awarded the William Georgetti Scholarship, all of whom will ultimately make a significant contribution to New Zealand society. Public Trust and NZVCC wish the winners well in their studies and look forward to following their progress.”

Applications for next year’s William Georgetti Scholarships should be made by 1 October 2008. Application details can be found on www.nzvcc.ac.nz.

ENDS

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