Golfer & Conservationist Score $20,000 AMP Awards

Rotorua Golfer And North Canterbury Conservationist Score $20,000 AMP Awards

North Canterbury farmer Jamie McFadden and Rotorua teenage golfing champion Sam Hunt are a lot closer to achieving their dreams after being awarded AMP Premium Scholarships each worth $20,000 over the next two years.

AMP Marketing Manager John McMurdo said that Jamie McFadden and Sam Hunt were selected to receive the premium scholarships from the 10 inspirational kiwis who were awarded AMP Scholarships in June this year.

“Jamie and Sam stood out because of their passion, determination and ‘go get it’ attitude,” said John McMurdo. “They’re both strong, inspiring individuals who are not afraid to aim high with their aspirations.”

John McMurdo said it was a hard decision to choose just two people from the ten 2001 scholarship winners.

“Each of this year’s scholarship winners is an exceptionally talented and dedicated person. Given that the ten scholarship winners were originally selected from over 650 applications, it was a real challenge to then select the premium scholarship winners.”

Seventeen-year-old Sam Hunt is the current New Zealand amateur golfing champion and a member of the AMP Rotorua Boy’s High School golf team that successfully defended their World Secondary Schools Championship title earlier this year.

A top performing student at Rotorua Boy’s High, Sam will use his premium scholarship to help him to compete internationally over the next three years with the aim of qualifying for the 2004 US Masters. He said the AMP Premium Scholarship will make a huge difference to him achieving his goal of pursuing a professional golfing career.

“It’s great to know that I have the support I need over the next couple of years to help me reach my goal,” he said. "I could practise for hours and hours but nothing compares to competing in international competitions and playing against the best players in the world.”

North Canterbury farmer and conservationist Jamie McFadden’s vision is to inspire communities to plant native trees and plants to increase natural habitats for wildlife and beautify land that is often unused. His commitment to conservation and effective land management is reflected in his involvement with local landcare groups and his role as joint vice president of North Canterbury Federated Farmers.

Jamie said that AMP’s support will provide a huge boost to his community conservation projects.

“The premium scholarship will mean the projects can happen on a much bigger scale, allowing more people to be involved and the areas of land we are planting to be transformed that much faster,” he said.

“We also hope that what we’re doing on a local level will capture the imagination of other communities around the country and encourage them to do similar projects within their local areas.”

John McMurdo said the AMP Scholarship Programme aims to assist extraordinary New Zealanders to achieve their goals. Over the past three years, the programme has awarded almost $400,000 worth of scholarships to 35 extraordinary New Zealanders.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Sam Hunt

Rotorua’s Sam Hunt, 17, has been playing golf since he was nine, lowering his handicap from 36 to 2 under. His dream is to qualify for the 2004 US Masters in Augusta before following in the footsteps of Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus to win the US Masters, US Open, British Open and PGA Championships.

Sam has won the individual trophy at the World Intercollegiate Championship and qualified to play in the NZ Open as an amateur. He also finished fourth in last year’s Junior British Open

Other golf successes include being a member of the New Zealand under-18 golf team for the past two years and winning several Bay of Plenty titles. Sam is also a member of the AMP Rotorua Boy's High School golf team that won the last two World Secondary Schools Championships.

Jamie McFadden

North Canterbury’s Jamie McFadden, 34, plans to make the world a better place by encouraging and involving people in conservation projects.
…more
Jamie established a native plant nursery on his family’s 800 hectare farm seven years ago for replanting vacant areas on the farm. The nursery opened to the public in 1999 and Jamie now plans to use plants from the nursery for a community project in the Hurunui district.

The project involves developing native plantings throughout the Hurunui district with the aim of increasing the number of natural habitats and enhancing the movement of wildlife, particularly native birds. Jamie is involved in a number of local groups and is currently joint vice president for North Canterbury Federated Farmers.

About AMP
AMP is Australia’s international financial services business, providing wealth creation and protection products and services to around 9 million customers worldwide. Principal activities include retirement savings, funds management, life and general insurance, financial planning and banking services. AMP operates in 14 markets around the world with a significant and efficient domestic presence in its three home markets of Australia, New Zealand and the UK. AMP has more than 20,000 employees worldwide, manages assets of approximately $280bn and has a market capitalisation of approximately $20bn.

© Scoop Media