Māori Students to Access Top-Ranked Universities

Māori Students to Access Top-Ranked Universities with Return of $100k Scholarship

New Zealand’s first scholarship to support Māori students to gain admissions to top global universities is open for applications again following its successful introduction last year. Five high school students from Year 10 - Year 13 will again receive personalised mentoring and education services, worth $20,000 per student.

The Te Ara a Kupe Beaton Scholarship recipients will receive tailored tutoring and mentoring support that helps them to apply and secure admission to top-ranked universities in New Zealand and abroad, whether it be Computer Science at Victoria University, Medical School at the University of Auckland or Economics at Harvard.

The Scholarship is named after the Māori warrior Kupe who voyaged the Polynesian seas to discover New Zealand, just as Crimson encourages students to go on a journey of discovery, push boundaries and adventure beyond the familiar.

Lily Holder-McFlinn was supported by a customised Crimson Education team through her final year of high school after being awarded one of last year’s scholarships. Since winning the scholarship Lily has received four NZQA subject scholarships, a $5,000 Victoria Academic Excellence Scholarship, and a $15,000 Spark scholarship for women in technology. She was accepted into a conjoint Law and Computer Science degree at Victoria University which she says is a perfect fit.
“The Te Ara a Kupe Beaton scholarship has provided me with the resources and knowledge to achieve goals I previously believed to be impossible. The team gave me the opportunity to engage with talented people from around the world, which has provided me with connections that will be essential in my future career path.

“Crimson’s tutors and mentors take the time to get to know you, giving insight into the most effective ways to make you think, and absorb knowledge. It gave me a huge advantage over other students. They encourage you to pursue your dreams, regardless of how unrealistic they may seem, and they provide you with the resources to make that dream a reality,” she says.

Lily Holder-McFlinn will sit on this year’s judging panel, along with Crimson CEO Jamie Beaton, who along with starting Crimson Education, is currently completing an MBA at Stanford Business School.

“This scholarship will continue to encourage young Māori to discover their greatest potential by getting accepted into the world’s best universities,” says Crimson CEO Jamie Beaton.

“Historically, top-ranked, competitive universities have had very little representation of Māori students and that’s something we’d like to change. The scholarship is raising community awareness of possible higher education pathways to reach for while mentoring students to give them the confidence and tools to stand out as top candidates. Not only does this scholarship open up doors for young Māori, it helps to introduce the world to Māori culture,” Mr Beaton says.

Applications close on 20th August and scholarships will be awarded on 16th September as part of Maori Language Week celebrations.

This year’s judging panellists include:

Shay Wright: Shay co-founded Te Whare Hukahuka, an organisation that helps rebuild local Māori economy through education and training. Shay's organisation recently featured in Forbes 30 under 30 in the Social Entrepreneur category. He has also worked extensively with The Icehouse.

Jamie Beaton: Co-founder and CEO of Crimson Education. Jamie applied to the top 25 universities in the world and gained acceptance into all of them. Jamie was named 2016 Young Innovator of the Year by the NZ Innovation Council. This year Jamie featured in Forbes Asia 30 Under 30 - Consumer Tech.

Sharndre Kushor: Sharndre is Co-founder and COO of Crimson Education which now operates across 10 countries with a network of over 2,000 tutors and mentors who support students around the world. Sharndre featured alongside Jamie on the Forbes Asia 30 Under 30 list and was named a Youth Enterprise Award winner by the NZ government.

Lily Holder-McFlinn: Lily is one of the five recipients of the 2017 Te Ara a Kupe Beaton Scholarship. Since beginning her journey with Crimson, she has received four NZQA subject scholarships, a $5,000 Victoria Academic Excellence Scholarship, and a $15,000 Spark scholarship for women in technology. Her interests in technology and debating have led her to study a conjoint degree of Law and Computer Science at Victoria University.

Te Okiwa McLean: Te Okiwa McLean joined the Te Karere team in 2016. He is passionate about Te Reo Māori and loves sharing stories from a Māori perspective. Te Okiwa has worked as a radio host for Radio Kahungunu. He was given hands-on media experience by Mr Julian Wilcox, then at Māori Television, which changed his career pathway from the Navy to Media Studies. Te Okiwa holds a Bachelor of Māori Development - Māori Media from AUT and recently graduated from Te Panekiretanga o Te Reo.

Sir John Morris: Sir John Morris served as headmaster of Auckland Grammar School for 15 years. Sir Morris introduced CIE to students across the country and has been knighted for his service to education.

Larry Summers: Larry is the Charles W. Eliot University professor at Harvard University and Social Equity & Global Access Advisor on the Board of Crimson Education. Larry also served as 27th president of Harvard and has held many influential positions including secretary of the treasury of the United States, political economist for the President’s Council of Economic Advisers, chief economist of the World Bank and director of the National Economic Council for President Barack Obama.

Kevin Sim: Singapore-based Kevin Sim has also joined the panel as a former head of counselling at Raffles Institute, the most competitive high school in the world based in Singapore. Kevin holds the world record for most admits to Oxford and Cambridge as well as the Ivy League.

How-Shin: How-Shin is currently the CEO of MedView, Australasia’s largest mentoring organisation in helping students from all backgrounds enter careers in health. He is also a Trainee Intern at Waitemata DHB and in his final year of MBChB Medicine at the University of Auckland. This year How-Shin was awarded for his research and contributions to improving patient safety at North Shore Hospital.
Hohepa Stablein: Hohepa was Dux of his high school and is now studying Medicine at the University of Otago. As an Iwi, he is heavily involved in supporting Kiwis to reach their academic potential, having worked in the Māori community within education and public health, namely working with MidCentral DHB on rangatahi participation in health professions.

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