William Georgetti Scholarship

Last updated

The William Georgetti Scholarship is one of New Zealand's most prestigious postgraduate awards. It is named after the influential landowner William Georgetti who bequeathed his estate for the purposes of establishing a perpetual scholarship so that young New Zealanders could continue their studies. Georgetti’s hope was “that the best brains available shall receive the benefit of this trust”. [1]

Contents

The scholarship is administered by Universities New Zealand - Te Pōkai Tara. Recipients of the award are selected annually by a panel led by the Governor General of New Zealand. Typically between three and seven awards are given, although there may be as many as twelve, [2] and the committee may decide not to award the scholarship at all if no suitable candidate is found. Unlike most postgraduate scholarships, the William Georgetti Scholarship is not restricted to location (recipients may study at any university in any country), discipline or prior institution.

The official description of the scholarship states that its "purpose is to encourage postgraduate study and research, normally in New Zealand, in a field that in the opinion of the Scholarship Board is important to the social, cultural or economic development of New Zealand." In practice however, the award is more often used to support study overseas. Since 2007, 40% of recipients have used their award to fund studies in the United Kingdom, 35% for study in the United States of America, 17% for studies in New Zealand and 8% for studies elsewhere. [3]

Value

Recipients may be awarded up to NZD$20,000 per year for Masters study and NZD$30,000 per year for doctoral study. For those students studying overseas the award can be up to NZD$45,000 per year. The maximum period of tenure is three years. The maximum full award therefore is NZD$135,000. [4]

The Trustees are able to alter the value of the award in certain circumstances however, for example 2013 recipient Sarah Paterson was awarded an additional NZD$6000 due to specific extra fees at her chosen institution, the University of Glasgow. [5]

Eligibility

Applicants must:

Applicants affiliated with one of New Zealand's eight universities must apply through their university. Each university is permitted to put four of these applications forward, from which selection Universities New Zealand compiles a shortlist for interview. Interviews are conducted at Government House in Wellington. Interviewees have their travel paid for by the Trust. [7]

While there is no specific minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) requirement, in practise successful applicants will have a GPA over 8 or more using the 1-9 scale used by Universities New Zealand. The mean GPA on the 1-9 scale for successful applicants between 2007 and 2015 was 8.60. [8]

History

William Georgetti’s family were some of the first Europeans to settle in the Whanganui area of New Zealand in the 19th century. William was born there on 12 July 1867 to Augustine and Ellen, one of nine children. The family are said to have had a strong relationship with local iwi and were central to the development of the region as we know it today. Georgetti Street in Whanganui stands as testament to that legacy. They owned Bastia Hill which was named after the town in Corsica where Augustine Georgetti was born. When Augustine died, his estate was divided between his children which entered into New Zealand Legislation as the Georgetti Trust Estate Act. [9]

The young William wished to study to become a doctor, but ultimately he followed his father's wishes and became a successful landowner. He owned extensive property in New Zealand and Australia, as well as shares in timber and gold. Georgetti travelled all around the world with his wealth, but he never went too far from home, and ultimately settled at a farm in Hastings. His farm was a sheep farm called ‘Crissoge’ and he stayed there with his wife Mary and his children Grace, Douglas and Joyce from 1918 until his death in 1943 at the age of 72.

Georgetti instructed that the residue of his estate form a perpetual charitable trust for the purpose of funding scholarships. Georgetti believed that "whatever fluctuations there may be in prices for primary produce and in land values and whatever vicissitudes the said Dominion may pass through farming land will always be the most stable asset in which to invest money". In keeping with Georgetti's wishes, the trust still holds all 125.5 ha of Crissoge and it is currently leased as eight orchards. Rental income from the orchards, along with other investments, fund the William Georgetti Scholarship.

List of notable William Georgetti Scholarship recipients

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Auckland University of Technology</span> Public research university in Auckland, New Zealand

Auckland University of Technology is a university in New Zealand, formed on 1 January 2000 when a former technical college was granted university status. AUT is New Zealand's third largest university in terms of total student enrolment, with approximately 29,100 students enrolled across three campuses in Auckland. It has five faculties, and an additional three specialist locations: AUT Millennium, Warkworth Radio Astronomical Observatory and AUT Centre for Refugee Education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gates Cambridge Scholarship</span> Scholarship program funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

The Gates Cambridge Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Cambridge. The scholarship is one of the most competitive and prestigious in the world, with around 1.3% of applicants receiving an award in recent years. It is the University's most prestigious scholarship programme for postgraduate students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marshall Scholarship</span> Postgraduate scholarship

The Marshall Scholarship is a postgraduate scholarship for "intellectually distinguished young Americans [and] their country's future leaders" to study at any university in the United Kingdom. It is widely considered one of the most prestigious scholarships for U.S. citizens, and along with the Fulbright Scholarship, it is the only broadly available scholarship available to Americans to study at any university in the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hone Tūwhare</span> New Zealand poet

Hone Peneamine Anatipa Te Pona Tūwhare was a noted Māori New Zealand poet. He is closely associated with The Catlins in the Southland region of New Zealand, where he lived for the latter part of his life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">C. F. Goldie</span> New Zealand artist (1870–1947)

Charles Frederick Goldie was a New Zealand artist, best known for his portrayal of Māori dignitaries.

The Science, Mathematics, And Research For Transformation (SMART) Defense Scholarship Program was tested as a program in 2005 under the Air Force Office of Scientific Research. SMART was fully established by the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2006, and was assigned to the Navy Postgraduate School (NPS) as the managing agency in late 2005-early 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winston Churchill Memorial Trusts</span>

Winston Churchill Memorial Trusts (WCMT) are three independent but related living memorials to Sir Winston Churchill, based in the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. They exist for the purpose of administering Churchill Fellowships, also known as Churchill Travelling Fellowships, to provide an opportunity for applicants to travel overseas to conduct research in their chosen fields.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ngāti Ranginui</span> Māori iwi in New Zealand

Ngāti Ranginui is a Māori iwi (tribe) in Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. Its rohe extends from Waihi in the north, to the Kaimai Range in the west, to south of Te Puke in the south, and to Tauranga in the east. The rohe does not extend offshore to Matakana Island or Mayor Island / Tuhua.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arts Foundation of New Zealand</span> Arts organisation in New Zealand

'The Arts Foundation of New Zealand Te Tumu Toi is a New Zealand arts organisation that supports artistic excellence and facilitates private philanthropy through raising funds for the arts and allocating it to New Zealand artists.

The New Zealand Poet Laureate is a poet appointed by the National Library of New Zealand to represent New Zealand's community of poets, to promote and advocate for poetry, and to produce a number of published works during their two-year tenure as laureate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edward Kidson</span> Meteorologist, scientific administrator (1882–1939)

Edward Kidson was a New Zealand meteorologist and scientific administrator.

Universities New Zealand - Te Pōkai Tara is the peak body representing universities in New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kate Sheppard Memorial Trust Award</span> Annual award in New Zealand

The Kate Sheppard Memorial Trust Award is an award made annually on September 19, known as Suffrage Day, in New Zealand. This day is the anniversary of women winning the right to vote in New Zealand in 1893.

The Prime Minister's Science Prizes are awarded yearly by the Prime Minister of New Zealand. They were first awarded in 2009 in order to raise the profile and prestige of science among New Zealanders. The 2019 awards were presented in early 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jan Thomas (academic)</span>

Jan Thomas is a veterinary scientist and career academic. Thomas is currently the sixth vice-chancellor of Massey University, New Zealand and the second woman to hold the position. Thomas is the first female veterinarian and only the second veterinarian to become a Vice-Chancellor in either Australia or New Zealand.

The NZSA Peter & Dianne Beatson Fellowship is an annual literary fellowship in New Zealand established by Peter and Dianne Beatson in 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ingrid Horrocks</span>

Ingrid Horrocks is a creative writing teacher, poet, travel writer, editor and essayist. She lives in Wellington, New Zealand.

Cora-Allan Lafaiki Twiss (born 1985/1986 is a multidisciplinary Aotearoa -based artist and full time self taught hiapo practitioner, Twiss was awarded the Arts Pasifika Award 'Pacific Heritage Artist award' in 2020 through Creative New Zealand.

Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga (NPM) is New Zealand's Māori Centre of Research Excellence (CoRE). It was established in 2002 and is hosted by the University of Auckland with 21 research partners and is funded, like other CoRE's, by the Tertiary Education Commission. The mission was to conduct research for, with and by Māori communities which leads to transformation and positive change.

References

  1. ↑ "Victoria graduate awarded 'best brain' scholarship to study neuropsychology | Victoria University of Wellington". Victoria.ac.nz. 2014-03-31. Retrieved 2016-04-02.
  2. ↑ "Twelve Outstanding Students Win Scholarships | Scoop News". Scoop.co.nz. 2008-08-05. Retrieved 2016-04-02.
  3. ↑ P.J. Schluter and Lucy Johnston (2015): In the spirit of William Georgetti : scrutiny of a prestigious national scholarship selection process, Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, DOI:10.1080/02602938.2015.1108387
  4. ↑ "William Georgetti Scholarship | Universities New Zealand - Te Pōkai Tara". Universitiesnz.ac.nz. Retrieved 2016-04-02.
  5. ↑ "And now, a word on our sponsors – Otago Lane". Otagolane.wordpress.com. 2015-05-24. Retrieved 2016-04-02.
  6. ↑ "3. – Inheritance – Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand". Teara.govt.nz. 2010-11-18. Retrieved 2016-04-02.
  7. ↑ "Scholarships and Prizes Search Details - University of Canterbury - New Zealand". Canterbury.ac.nz. Retrieved 2016-04-02.
  8. ↑ P.J. Schluter and Lucy Johnston (2015): In the spirit of William Georgetti:scrutiny of a prestigious national scholarship selection process, Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, DOI: 10.1080/02602938.2015.1108387
  9. ↑ "Georgetti Trust Estate Act 1915 No 2 (as at 03 September 2007), Private Act Contents – New Zealand Legislation". Legislation.govt.nz. 1915-09-18. Retrieved 2016-04-02.
  10. ↑ Tracy Watkins (2012-03-04). "At home with Mai Chen - politics - national". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 2016-04-02.
  11. ↑ "Geospatial Awards: Sophie Curtis-Ham". Nzspatialawards.org.nz. Retrieved 2016-04-02.
  12. ↑ "Home | Seychelles Legal Information Institute". Seylii.org. Retrieved 2016-04-02.
  13. ↑ "Allen & Overy | International Law Firm with Global Reach". Allenovery.com. 2011-07-07. Retrieved 2016-04-02.
  14. ↑ "Jeroen Speak". Jeroen Speak. Retrieved 2016-04-02.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.