March 13, 2012
Celebrations to recognise Māori academic excellence
The University of Waikato will host the tenth annual Te Amorangi National Māori Academic Excellence Awards this month.
The awards recognise Māori PhD graduates who have had their doctorates conferred in the last calendar year.
This year, 39 awards will be given out to graduates from universities in New Zealand and around the world, including
five from the University of Waikato.
Among the Waikato recipients is Dr Margaret Dudley, a neuropsychologist whose PhD thesis looked into the impact of
attention process training in early recovery from strokes.
She says her research examined psychological aspects of recovery, in this case attention training, which is thought to
be hugely important in the early stages of recovery.
Waikato University’s Pro Vice-Chancellor Māori Professor Linda Smith says, “The Te Amorangi Awards recognise the
commitment and success of our Māori PhD graduates. It’s imperative we foster achievement and the pursuit of academic
excellence, if individuals are to reach their full potential.
“These graduates are our future leaders but their achievements are more than an individual triumph; their success will
resonate at a whānau, hapū and iwi level and the collective benefits will be shared by generations to come.”
The Te Amorangi National Māori Academic Excellence Awards were first held in 2002 and since then more than 300
recipients have been acknowledged. A Lifetime Achievement Award will also be presented at this year’s ceremony held on
Friday March 30 at WINTEC’s The Atrium.
ENDS