Tower Insurance Names University Of Waikato Climate Change Scholarship Recipients

Tuesday, 27 August 2024, 10:18 am
Press Release: Tower Insurance

Tower, the New Zealand and Pacific-based insurance company, has named the latest recipients of its Climate Change Scholarship, developed in partnership with the University of Waikato, with Bachelor of Climate Change students, Maia Waudby and Hannah Dagger, set to receive $5,000 each.

Tower has supported the University of Waikato’s Bachelor of Climate Change since 2021, with three $5,000 scholarships available each year to support students studying the degree.

Tower’s CEO, Blair Turnbull says, “As a Kiwi and Pacific insurer we are acutely aware of the impact climate change has on our island communities and we are on a mission to help support meaningful climate action.

“Rising temperatures and significant weather events have shown the biggest challenge we collectively face is the threat of climate change. The message is clear - we need to tackle this head-on. The University of Waikato is at the forefront of climate education and for this reason, we have committed to helping them grow our next generation of climate leaders.”

Both Maia and Hannah are dedicating their studies towards mitigating the adverse effects of climate change on Māori and Pacific communities. As a third-year student, Maia will complete a project for Tower and is currently investigating options for Tower to reduce emissions from its underwriting portfolios.

When asked about her decision to pursue climate change studies, Maia says: “Being Māori, I believe that caring for the environment exists as part of my intrinsic duty to enact kaitiakitanga and to be a ‘good ancestor’ for generations to come. There's a well-known saying from my awa (the Whanganui river), ’Ko au te awa, ko te awa ko au’, which means ’I am the river, the river is me’.

“In a sense, we see ourselves as a part of our wider environment and really intertwined with its wellbeing. Therefore, I think what also inspires me to work with Māori and indigenous communities on preventing extreme climate change is knowing that if our natural world is healthy and alive, we as a people will be more able to thrive.”

“Any student will tell you that it’s pretty rough sometimes financially so, the scholarship is definitely a big help. It’s nice to know that there’s a big insurance company out there in Tower, that supports what you do.”

The world-first Bachelor of Climate Change is a three-year degree that enables students to become experts in one of a wide range of different major subjects that are needed to develop effective climate change solutions.

About Tower

Born and bred in New Zealand, Tower has been supporting Kiwis when they need it most for more than 150 years. In that time, we’ve grown to operate across New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, providing our customers with cover for their houses, cars, contents, businesses and more.

While our heritage is important to us, we’ve also set our sights on the future. Tower’s focus on innovation and investment in large-scale digital transformation, has enabled the business to evolve rapidly, in-line with the latest in technology and customer expectations. The result is customer-focused, digital-first insurance solutions - combined with joining forces with like-minded partners, Tower has been able to create more, simpler products, to suit the modern lifestyles of its customers.

For more information, please visit: www.tower.co.nz/

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