Whakaeke Pōneke - MinterEllisonRuddWatts First in Whānau Award

Application process

A completed online application must be submitted by 4.30 pm on the closing date. Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted. Any required supporting documentation (including references) must also be received by 4.30 pm on the closing date in order for the application to be considered.

Applications will normally open one month prior to the closing date. If no application link is provided below, check back again closer to the closing date. Contact us if you have any queries.

Scholarship specific documentation

Applicants must submit:

• evidence of their Māori descent (to be requested via the online application)
• a personal statement (including any details of financial hardship, if applicable)
• a curriculum vitae (CV); and
• a copy of their most recent academic transcript.

Selection process

• Application is made via the University’s Scholarships Office
• The Scholarships Office will screen applications for eligibility and will forward to MERW
• The MERW Selection Committee assesses the applications
• Shortlisted applicants will be required to attend a kōrero (see Additional Information)
• The award is awarded by MERW on the recommendation of the Selection Committee

Additional information

1. For the purpose of this award, ‘first in whānau' to attend university means that no member of the applicant’s whānau tonu (immediate family), including parents and siblings, has completed a university qualification and/or graduated with a Bachelor of Laws prior to the applicant’s first year of study. Adoptive and step parents and siblings are considered part of the applicant’s whānau tonu (immediate family) where they have lived with the applicant for the previous five or more years. We acknowledge the diverse family arrangements that exist in Aotearoa and that will be reflected in assessing eligibility.
2. To be eligible for this award, the recipient must identify as Māori, meaning they must whakapapa Māori (i.e. have Māori genealogy) and provide their iwi or hapū affiliation (if known).
3. In an informal kōrero with the MERW Selection Committee, shortlisted applicants will be invited to share their background and future aspirations. Shortlisted applicants will also be invited to share their pepeha in Māori or English (optional/ if known). Shortlisted applicants may be accompanied by a support person.
4. The recipient of the award will receive pastoral care in the form of a mentor from MERW for a period of 12 months, and assistance with preparing their CV. They may also have the opportunity for paid work experience with MERW.
5. Students that receive this award may be required to participate in promotional activities for the award, including social media.
6. Awardees will be required to comply with the regulations for the award and must notify MERW of any change in their enrolment or funding status.
7. The tax-free status of this award is under current legislation. Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington cannot guarantee this tax-free outcome.
8. Payments under the terms of this award remain tax-free as long as they are used directly for the payment of costs associated with an awardee’s programme of study and/or to assist the awardee with living costs while studying. Failure to comply with this regulation will result in the termination of the award.
9. Awardees will be required to comply with the regulations for the award and will notify the Scholarships Office of any change in their enrolment or funding status. Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington may, in the event that it can be established that an awardee is not complying with these regulations, terminate the award and require repayment of the funds received.

Regulations and Conditions

1. The scholarship will be known as the Whakaeke Pōneke - MERW First in Whānau Award.
2. Up to two awards will be awarded annually and will be of the value of $5,000 per award. One allocated to Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington and the other to Waipapa Taumata Rau, the University of Auckland
3. To be eligible to apply for the award, an applicant must:
   • be of Māori descent,
   • be a citizen or permanent resident of New Zealand,
   • be the first member of their whānau tonu (immediate family) to attend a university (see Additional Information),
   • have completed at least three compulsory second year law papers and
   • be intending to continue their undergraduate law degree at Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington in the following year.
4. Selection will be based on academic achievement, the applicant’s demonstrated passion for a career in law, potential to contribute to the law profession, motivation to succeed at university, and their personal circumstances including any financial or other hardship, as assessed by a personal statement and kōrero with the MERW Selection Committee (see Additional Information).
5. The award will be awarded by MERW on the recommendation of the MERW Selection Committee.
6. To be paid the award, the awardee must be enrolled full-time in an undergraduate law degree at Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington.
7. The award will be paid in Trimester One, as soon as is practical after confirmation of the awardee’s enrolment (that is, after the final date on which a student may add or delete courses without incurring a late enrolment fee).
8. The award may be held concurrently with any scholarship, award or grant as long as the regulations for that scholarship, award or grant permit. It is the responsibility of the awardee to declare to MERW all other scholarships, awards or grant funding received.
9. MERW is not obliged to make an award if it is determined there is no candidate who meets the criteria, as determined at the sole discretion of the MERW Selection Committee.
10. MERW can amend or vary these regulations at any time provided there is no departure from the main purpose of the award.
11. Applications close with MERW on a date to be confirmed by MERW at its sole discretion in the year proceeding the year of the Scholarship.
12. The award is intended to be confirmed on a yearly basis by MERW in its sole discretion.
13. Additional Information [1]-[9] (inclusive) above are deemed to be Regulations and Conditions.