Six Postgraduate Students Awarded Scholarships

Media Release 1 July 2009

Six Postgraduate Students Awarded Scholarships

Six of New Zealand’s outstanding young people have been awarded the prestigious William Georgetti Scholarship, the New Zealand Vice-Chancellors’ Committee (NZVCC) and Public Trust announced today.

The awards, managed by Public Trust and administered by the NZVCC, total $330,000 for 2009.

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. The scholarship was established from the residue of the estate of William Georgetti who died in 1943. Mr Georgetti desired “that the best brains available shall receive the benefit of this trust”.

The winners for 2009 are:
• Naomi Bennett Victoria University to Oxford University; $90,000 over three years
• Leon Henderson University of Waikato to Cambridge University; $90,000 over three years (amount and institution to be confirmed)
• Sunita Patel University of Auckland to New York University; $45,000 for one year
• Leron Postelnik University of Auckland; $30,000 over three years
• Avinash Sunil Sharma University of Auckland to Oxford University; $45,000 for one year
• Andy Jia-Yuh Yeh University of Waikato to University of California Berkeley; $30,000 for one year

Mr Georgetti instructed that a perpetual charitable trust be established for the purpose of funding scholarships. During his lifetime, Mr Georgetti farmed at Crissoge, 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 farmland at Crissoge; currently leased as eight orchards. The rental income from the orchards, along with other investments, fund the William Georgetti Scholarship.

The William Georgetti Scholarship is one of more than 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 Scholarship. 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 Scholarship is 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 more than 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.

“Six 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,”
Public Trust chief executive Grenville Gaskell says.

Applications for next year’s William Georgetti Scholarship should be made by 1 October 2009. Application details can be found on www.nzvcc.ac.nz

ENDS

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