Te Pūtea Whakatupu Trust, in partnership Māori Education Trust, is pleased to announce the launch of a new scholarship – The Tāwera Scholarship: Māori Business and Management Bachelor Scholarships – to provide support to up to 30 Māori enrolled in a business, commerce, or management degree at bachelor level.

This scholarship is the result of an exciting new partnership between Te Pūtea Whakatupu Trust and Māori Education Trust who are 50:50 joint funders.

The Tāwera Scholarship is designed to help address Te Pūtea Whakatupu Trust’s strategic focus of lifting the level of Māori participation in middle and senior management capability in a range of industries, including fisheries.

Preference will be given to those students who: are in their last year or second to last year of study towards their bachelor degree; demonstrate a commitment to tikanga Māori and te reo Māori; demonstrate a commitment to Māori, iwi, and hapū economic development; have proven academic merit and; are interested in building personal skills and expertise to support Māori/iwi economic and social development.

Te Pūtea Whakatupu Trust is concerned to ensure the potential of the Post Treaty Settlement Era is maximised by leveraging capacity and capability building to support greater Māori control and involvement in decision making in Māori industry futures. Key characteristics of applicants sought include:

Te Ao Māori me te Ao Pākehā: Recipients will be capable, comfortable and skilled to walk in both worlds.

Ngā kawa me ngā tikanga Māori: Recipients will be confident in their identity, language and culture.

Whanaungatanga: Recipients will be well grounded amongst their people and committed to supporting their development.

It is envisaged that the recipients of this scholarship will be committed to the future economic and social development of Māori, iwi, hapū and whānau.

The celestial being, Tāwera (Venus as the morning star), was a primary star used for celestial navigation by the first voyagers from Hawaiiki to Aotearoa. Similarly, it is hoped this scholarship will help guide our rangatahi developing their Māori business and industry skills back to a role in Māori industries and Māori economic development with whānau, hapū and iwi. Tāwera is also the brightest celestial being in the night sky after the moon. Similarly, we hope our scholarship recipients will shine brightly as stars in the future success of Māori in middle and senior management of our key Māori entities.

As well as the $10,000 scholarship, recipients will attend the Charting Māori Industry Futures Conference – Ngā Whetū Hei Whai in Rotorua, July 3-5, 2011, where they will meet Māori and iwi industry leaders and get a sense of their potential role in supporting Māori industry futures.

Application forms can be downloaded from the Te Putea Whakatupu Trust website (www.tpwt.maori.nz) or the Māori Education Trust website (www.maorieducation.org.nz).

If applicants have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us on (04) 499 8041 or at info@maorieducation.org.nz.

Press Release Contact:

Richard Jefferies
Chair, Te Putea Whakatupu Trust
Mobile: 021 02036575
Email: richard.jefferies@wananga.ac.nz