NZIF Foundation Makes First Awards

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12 July 2012

NZIF Foundation Makes First Awards

The newly established NZIF Foundation made its first awards at the New Zealand Institute of Forestry conference dinner in Christchurch last week. The Foundation has been established to encourage and support forestry-related education, training and research through the provision of grants, scholarships and prizes; promoting the acquisition, development and dissemination of forestry-related knowledge and information and other activities.

The awards were:

Chavasse travel award of $3,500 to Dr Stephanie Rotarangi to assist her to travel to Ireland to attend an International Union of Forest Research Organisations conference on biodiversity in Forest Ecosystems and Landscapes in Cork, Ireland. Dr Rotarangi has been invited to present a seminar at University College Cork and to enter a student competition for recent research. These will be based on her Otago University doctoral thesis on planted forests on ancestral land – the experiences and resilience of Maori Owners.

Since completing her Ph.D., Dr Rotarangi, who has over 15 years’ experience in the forestry sector, has been appointed to the Māori Primary Sector Partnership team of the Ministry for Primary Industries, based in Dunedin.

University undergraduate scholarship of $1,000 to Ms Andree Callaghan, a third year Bachelor of Forestry Science student at the New Zealand School of Forestry at Canterbury University.

Mary Sutherland scholarship of $1,000 to Ms Larissa Anderson, a first year Diploma of Forest Management student at Waiariki Institute of Technology in Rotorua.

Announcing the awards, Chair of the Foundation, Dr Andrew McEwen, said how pleased the Trustees were at the number and calibre of applicants. “This augured well for the future of forestry in New Zealand, a sector which contributes significantly to New Zealand’s economy, environment and society and which requires highly trained individuals in order to make that contribution.”

ENDS
Background to NZIF Foundation
The NZIF Foundation is a registered charity, established by the NZ Institute of Forestry in late 2011. Its function is to raise funding which can be used to encourage and support forestry-related education, training and research through the provision of grants, scholarships and prizes; promoting the acquisition, development and dissemination of forestry-related knowledge and information and other activities.
Website: Accessible through www.nzif.org.nz

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