Kia Ora Whānau, i am very pleased that as a board we continue to provide educational scholarships to registered members studying at a tertiary level.
A total of 41 scholarships were awarded to Ngātiwai tauira for 2018. Although slightly down on 2017, I was delighted with the number of scholarships that we are able to award this past year. I am a firm believer in the education of our people, and to be able to assist them on the right path for a prosperous future is exciting for me.
It is with pleasure that I am able to share this letter from one of our scholarship beneficiaries, Dakota Sorensen of Whakapaumahara Marae in Whananaki, acknowledging our support in her studies. I wish Dakota all the best in her studies and her future aspirations.
Ngā mihi
Ngā Mihi for selecting me to receive a Ngātiwai Trust Board Annual Education Scholarship in 2018 and 2017. Your generosity means I can support myself through my degree. This money for the past two years has helped me immensely and has been a huge help throughout my studies.
I am currently in my final semester of a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Screen and Media and minoring in Tikanga Māori. Once completing this degree I am going into a full year Māori immersion course to learn our beautiful native language – in doing so I will gain a graduate diploma in Te Reo Māori and aim to be able to speak it fluently. Once completed I hope to then go onto my honours and then apply for a job. I hope to work in the indigenous film area in New Zealand and other countries and be a part of the story telling.
I have enclosed a recent photo of myself that was taken for my staff photo at the University of Waikato.
Thank you again for selecting me for the Ngātiwai Trust Board Annual Education Scholarship. Scholarships like these make it possible for Māori students from our Iwi continue to study and earn a degree!
Ngā Mihi
Dakota Sorensen”