Ngārimu legacy inspires fresh paths to Māori success

  • Pita Sharples
  • Hekia Parata
Māori Affairs Education

The Ngārimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion Memorial Scholarship Fund Board has announced two new education initiatives as part of this year’s 70th anniversary celebrations of one of New Zealand’s greatest war heroes.

In recognition of the awarding of the Victoria Cross to Second Lieutenant Te Moana Nui a Kiwa Ngārimu, the Board will invest $250,000 into resourcing histories of each of the Māori Battalion's four rifle companies and related initiatives.

Education Minister Hekia Parata, who chairs the Ngārimu Board, says the Board is committed to developing young Māori leaders through education excellence and doing this in innovative ways.

“The Board has a rich history of strengthening Māori achievement through the living legacy of our war heroes. These education initiatives will help our future leaders to understand and appreciate the importance of good citizenship, giving back to the community and mana,” Ms Parata said.

“By documenting the histories of our veterans, we can provide students with resources to learn about World War Two, their forebears and the price of citizenship.”

Board member and Māori Affairs Minister Pita Sharples says the Board has also determined that an Alumni Association will be established by December 2015 to provide previous scholarship recipients with an opportunity to carry on this legacy of Māori achievement.

“The Alumni Association will give today’s leaders a way of contributing to the development of the young Māori leaders of tomorrow, through mentoring programmes and other investments.”

“In turn, those young people will benefit from the guidance and advice of their more established and experienced fellow scholarship recipients.”

“The Board and I encourage promising Māori students to apply for this year’s prestigious Ngārimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion Memorial scholarships,” Dr Sharples said.

Six scholarships worth between $10,000 and $30,000 are available. They include three undergraduate, one masters and one doctoral scholarship. As well, a Manakura award is also available for a person not currently in tertiary study who demonstrates leadership skills.

Candidates have until 5pm on 10 October 2013 to send their completed applications to the Ministry of Education.

“Like the brave soldiers, I am sure successful applicants will go on to make a great contribution to their whānau, hapū, iwi and country,” the Minister’s said.