Applications for Northland Regional Council’s Tū i te ora Scholarships have opened for 2022, with this year’s recipients set to receive paid work experience and financial assistance for the first time since the scholarships launched.

Council is awarding six scholarships, each including $4000 to assist with study costs, plus a paid full-time work experience with NRC from mid-November 2023 to mid-February 2024.

NRC’s Pou Manawhakahaere - General Manager of Governance and Engagement, Auriole Ruka, says council hopes the new structure will help strengthen connections between recipients and NRC and provide more value for both parties.

"We know that students really value getting a foot in the door and gaining hands-on experience during their studies. We’re pleased to be able to offer this opportunity that not only financially supports students, but hopefully encourages them to return to council once they’ve completed their studies to enrich the region and its people with their knowledge and skills."

"Council made the decision to provide fewer scholarships of higher value to account for the rise in living costs, which have a significant impact on students. We sought feedback from previous recipients to help guide our decision-making."

This is the fourth year council is awarding the scholarships, which recognise, encourage and support students to undertake study that relates to council’s environmental and regulatory functions, whilst contributing to council’s vision ‘Our Northland - together we thrive’.

Council’s environmental and regulatory functions include these areas:

• Biodiversity
• Biosecurity
• Climate change
• Environmental planning and policy
• Environmental science and data analysis
• Flood and natural hazard engineering and management
• Geographic information system (GIS)
• Land management.
• Water management

The scholarships have a specific aim to build Māori capacity within Te Taitokerau, with three of the six scholarships earmarked for Māori who whakapapa to Te Taitokerau.

Applicants must be New Zealand citizens or permanent residents who live in Northland (or have family that does) or whakapapa to Te Taitokerau.

They must also be enrolled (or have an intention to enrol) in a recognised tertiary course of study that relates to council’s environmental and regulatory functions and be studying at an undergraduate or higher qualification level. Applicants must be enrolled (or intend to enrol) for semester one of 2023.

Full eligibility criteria and application form are available from scholarships.nrc.govt.nz

All applications/supporting documentation must be submitted online by Friday 18 November 2022.

Once the application period closes, a selection panel from the council’s Human Resources, Community Engagement, and Māori Engagement teams will review them. Shortlisted applicants will be subject to an interview.

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