Celebrations to recognise Māori academic excellence

March 13, 2012

Celebrations to recognise Māori academic excellence

The University of Waikato will host the tenth annual Te Amorangi National Māori Academic Excellence Awards this month.

The awards recognise Māori PhD graduates who have had their doctorates conferred in the last calendar year.

This year, 39 awards will be given out to graduates from universities in New Zealand and around the world, including five from the University of Waikato.

Among the Waikato recipients is Dr Margaret Dudley, a neuropsychologist whose PhD thesis looked into the impact of attention process training in early recovery from strokes.

She says her research examined psychological aspects of recovery, in this case attention training, which is thought to be hugely important in the early stages of recovery.

Waikato University’s Pro Vice-Chancellor Māori Professor Linda Smith says, “The Te Amorangi Awards recognise the commitment and success of our Māori PhD graduates. It’s imperative we foster achievement and the pursuit of academic excellence, if individuals are to reach their full potential.

“These graduates are our future leaders but their achievements are more than an individual triumph; their success will resonate at a whānau, hapū and iwi level and the collective benefits will be shared by generations to come.”

The Te Amorangi National Māori Academic Excellence Awards were first held in 2002 and since then more than 300 recipients have been acknowledged. A Lifetime Achievement Award will also be presented at this year’s ceremony held on Friday March 30 at WINTEC’s The Atrium.

ENDS

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