Reaching for the stars with a new scholarship

19 July, 2016

Reaching for the stars with a new scholarship at the University of Waikato

The University of Waikato’s commitment to attracting students with outstanding academic records and potential is confirmed by a new scholarship that defines an elite level of financial support for high-achieving school leavers.

Te Paewai o Te Rangi: The University of Waikato Scholarship for Outstanding Academic Achievement is worth up to $25,000 over three years and will be awarded on the basis of academic excellence, leadership potential, and community citizenship.

In Māori mythology, Tāne, the son of Ranginui and Papatūānuku, the sky father and the earth mother, became frustrated with the confinement he and his brothers and sisters felt between their parents. They yearned for light in the world, so together they pushed their parents apart and Tāne travelled on a quest to ascend into the heavens to suspend the stars in the sky. Te Paewai o Te Rangi can be translated to mean “the water horizon”, or the place where the ocean meets the sky and was the transition point where Tāne travelled into the sky.

University of Waikato Vice-Chancellor Professor Neil Quigley says the Māori creation story is the inspiration for the new scholarship, and says it is one of the ways the university is encouraging student excellence.

“Te Paewai o Te Rangi describes a person’s journey to achieve excellence and metaphorically refers to the ongoing pursuit of excellence,” he says. “These are the students who are going to contribute significantly to their communities after graduating, so we’re keen to support them as early on in their careers as we can.”

As part of the scholarship students will receive a guaranteed place in the University’s Halls of Residence during their first year of study.

Applications for Te Paewai o Te Rangi close 31 August and 20 scholarships are available each year. The scholarship will be applied to tuition fees and, where applicable, Halls of Residence fees. More information is available here: http://www.waikato.ac.nz/scholarships/s/university-of-waikato-outstanding-academic-achievement-scholarship

For information on all other University of Waikato school leaver scholarships, go to our website: http://www.waikato.ac.nz/scholarships

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