Kahotea Outstanding Achievement Scholarship

Description

The scholarship package includes full accommodation costs* for the first year in a Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington hall of residence, plus $5,000 towards tuition fees in the first and second years of study, and a $5,000 stipend in the third year.  For students who are not in a hall, a $15,000 fees contribution can be taken across the first and second years, and a $5,000 stipend in the third year.

The  Kahotea Outstanding Achievement Scholarship recognises the top applicants from across our suite of school leaver scholarships. Recipients will have achieved exceptional academic results and demonstrated extensive contributions within the areas of culture, sports,  community involvement, leadership, or equity.

Who is eligible?

• Applicants must be New Zealand Citizens, or Permanent Residents; a New Zealand Residence Class visa holder; Australian Citizen; Australian Permanent Resident or International Students who are in the process of completing at least two full years (i.e., their Year 12 and Year 13) at a New Zealand Secondary School at the time of application.
• Applicants must meet all the criteria and regulations of either the Tangiwai Excellence Scholarship, the Totoweka Equity Scholarship, the Raukaraka Leadership Scholarship, the Pakohe Sustainability Scholarship, the Mātātoa Sports Scholarship, the Kahurangi Māori Student Scholarship or the Mana Pasifika Scholarship to be eligible.
• Applicants must be intending to enrol full time in the year following application in their first undergraduate degree at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington.
• Applicants must be in Year 13 or have completed Year 13 in the year prior and be taking a gap year at the time of application.

Selection criteria

Applicants are automatically considered for a Kahotea Scholarship upon application from Tangiwai, Totoweka, Raukaraka, Pakohe, Mātātoa, Kahurangi and/or Mana Pasifika Scholarships, if they meet those criteria.

Scholarships will be awarded based on academic achievement as well as the areas of culture, community involvement, leadership, equity, or sport depending on the category of scholarship they applied for.

Scholarship specific documentation

Applicants must provide all supporting references, endorsements and documentation specific to the Totoweka, Raukaraka, Pakohe, Mātātoa, Kahurangi or Mana Pasifika Scholarships to be considered. Please refer to each scholarship regulation for further information.

For applicants selecting the Tangiwai Excellence Scholarship only, and want to be considered for the Kahotea Scholarship, a personal statement is required.

Selection process

Selection will be made by the Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington Undergraduate Scholarship Committee. The decisions of the Committee are final.

Additional information

Holding the scholarship for the second and third years is conditional on students continuing to be enrolled full time and maintaining a Grade Point Average of at least 6 (B+ average).

You can choose to have the payments put towards accommodation at one of our University halls of residence, in which case the total amount will be paid in two instalments in February and July.

If you choose to have your scholarship go towards tuition fees then the total amount will be credited towards your student fees account when you receive your first invoice.

If you qualify for Fees Free then your scholarship for that year will be paid as a stipend towards living costs. The stipend payments will be made in two instalments, in Trimester 1 and 2 after the withdrawal periods. Payment must be used for study related costs such as accommodation, books for study, travel to and from university, or to support your living costs while you are studying.

*Full accommodation costs excludes the initial deposit (including bond and other hall fees) that is due when accepting an offer of accommodation.

Regulations and conditions

1. A completed online application must be submitted by 4:30pm on the closing date. Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted. Any required supporting documentation (including references) must also be received by 4:30pm on the closing date in order for the application to be considered.
2. Scholarship offers will be conditional upon the recipient being fully enrolled in a full-year programme (this will be at the level of points considered by Studylink as full time) within the stipulated criteria and tenure of the scholarship. No payment of the Scholarship will be made until this condition is met. Exceptional circumstances may be approved by the Undergraduate Scholarship Committee.
3. Disabled scholarship recipients may enrol less than full time and are recommended to discuss their enrolment with Te Amaru-Disability Services to seek advice on this. Please inform Te Maka—Scholarships Office.
4. Applicants must meet all the criteria and regulations of either the Tangiwai, Totoweka, Raukaraka, Pakohe, Mātātoa, Kahurangi or Mana Pasifika Scholarships to be eligible.
5. All scholarship offers will be conditional upon the recipient gaining NCEA Level 3 in Year 13 with at least Merit or Excellence endorsement (or equivalent in another qualification), University Entrance, and admission into their degree programme.
6. Applicants who wish to enrol at the University in the year following application directly from Year 12, may not apply for the Scholarship unless they will meet all the normal conditions of the Scholarship by the end of their Year 12 year (see regulation 4 in particular).
7. Applicants who go on an official student school exchange for a minimum of six months instead of completing Year 13 may apply for the Scholarship. These applicants will also need to gain admission through Discretionary Entrance.
8. Applicants who have taken a (single) gap year after completing Year 13 may apply for the Scholarship, as long as they have not studied at another university during that time (i.e., this scholarship is for first-year students, not transferring students). They will need to apply in the year prior to starting study at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington.
9. Applicants who have studied up to 60 points of courses at tertiary level during secondary school are eligible to apply. This includes applicants who may have completed any STAR (or equivalent) funded courses while still enrolled at secondary school.
10. All recipients of a Victoria University of Wellington School Leaver Scholarship are guaranteed an offer of a place in a University hall of residence, provided an accommodation application is received by University Accommodation Wellington by their deadline.
11. The Scholarship cannot be deferred to a later year.
12. The Scholarship may not be held in conjunction with any other Victoria University of Wellington funded school leaver scholarship or other scholarships where it is determined in those regulations.
13. Should the recipient withdraw from the University during the tenure of this scholarship or fail to achieve a satisfactory progress, partial repayment of the Scholarship will normally be expected. Recipients must advise the Scholarships Office if they intend to withdraw.
14. Recipients are expected to act as Ambassadors for the University and participate in appropriate events or marketing if requested.
15. At the discretion of the Deciding Authority, the application of the terms and conditions of the Scholarship may be modified in special circumstances or to avoid hardship to any candidate for the Scholarship.
16. The sections above headed Description, Eligibility, Selection Criteria, Application process, Scholarship specific documentation, and Selection Process as well as this section are all deemed to form part of these Scholarship Regulations.

Contact

Scholarships Office
scholarships-office@vuw.ac.nz
Phone 0800 04 04 04