Lydia Wevers Scholarship

Nikki Wright is the inaugural scholarship recipient who intends to encompass a practice-based arts approach to her Master’s research project.

As the inaugural scholarship recipient, Nikki Wright intends to encompass a practice-based arts approach to her Master’s research project, which will examine our urban coexistences with life-giving insect pollinators, including Aotearoa’s native bees, butterflies, moths, and flies.  The main focus of her research involves storytelling through blogs, interviews, photography, and drawing in addition to piloting community-led plantings of native ‘pollinator pathways’ on berms and public green spaces.  “The work asks what happens when we slow down, as we did during the COVID-19 lockdowns, and begin to notice and engage with our insect neighbours in ways that are different to those we are used to,” says Nikki.  Nikki credits Lydia’s family and the Stout Trust for enabling her to pursue an exciting cross-disciplinary arts and science Master’s research project.

“I am hugely grateful to Lydia’s family, friends, colleagues, and the Stout Trust. After working as a journalist in conservation for many years, I’m so excited they’ve made it possible for me to take my learning to a higher level and continue to develop and adapt arts-science approaches for important environmental work.”

Professor Brigitte Bönisch-Brednich says it is with great joy that they announce the inaugural recipient of the Lydia Wevers Scholarship in New Zealand Studies. “Nikki’s project has everything that Lydia Wevers would have found inspiring; the project has great potential, and we are looking forward to hearing more from Nikki as her thesis develops.”