MEDIA RELEASE
Wednesday 12 June 2019
Fulbright New Zealand announces 2019 grantee cohort – including first recipients of additional scholarship funding
provided by MFAT
WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND, Wednesday 12 June, 2019 --- Fulbright New Zealand announces the 2019 cohort of award grantees
who will be celebrated at the Fulbright New Zealand Awards Ceremony at Parliament on Monday 17 June, 2019, hosted by Rt.
Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs.
In 2019, Fulbright New Zealand is awarding significant additional funding to New Zealand graduates and scholars. This
additional funding provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) was announced by the Minister of Foreign
Affairs Winston Peters in 2018, and has doubled the core funding made available to Fulbright New Zealand.
Penelope Borland, Executive Director of Fulbright New Zealand, says “This is an especially exciting year for Fulbright
New Zealand. The additional support from MFAT means we are now offering more awards, at higher levels, to all of our New
Zealand graduates and scholars.”
“The cohort of 2019 New Zealand graduates and scholars being celebrated at Parliament on 17 June includes the first
recipients of the increased funding,” she added.
A wider range of programmes and opportunities can now be considered by New Zealand grantees and a broader range of New
Zealanders are being supported to get there. Grantees now have the opportunity for a second year of funding from
Fulbright New Zealand, to support them in multi-year study and research programmes.
This year Fulbright is supporting more New Zealand graduate students than ever before - a total of 21 Fulbright New
Zealand Graduate Awards are being granted in 2019: 11 General Graduate Awards, 8 Science and Innovation Graduate Awards,
1 Fulbright-Ngā Pae o Te Māramatanga Graduate Award and 1 Fulbright-EQC Award in Natural Disaster Research. Fulbright
New Zealand partners with New Zealand organisations to support a diverse cohort of promising New Zealanders to study or
undertake research in the US.
The Fulbright New Zealand mission is to create mutual understanding and empathy in our world through global
relationships and educational and cultural exchanges. Borland says that in 2019 the Fulbright mission is now more
important and more relevant than ever.
“The Fulbright Programme creates deep people to people connections and promotes collaboration between New Zealand and
the US. These are lasting connections that contribute to a more peaceful and empathetic world, “ she says.
In addition to Rt. Hon Winston Peters hosting the Awards Ceremony event on 17 June, Ambassador Scott Brown will speak
about the importance of Fulbright, and New Zealand and American relations. And, Te Puoho Katene (Ngāti Toarangatira,
Ngāti Tama, Ngāti Whātua) the 2017 Fulbright-Ngā Pae o Te Māramatanga Graduate Grantee, will speak about his Fulbright
experience completing a Master of Science in Management at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California.
Fulbright New Zealand Awards Granted in 2019
In total, 57 New Zealand and US graduate students, academics, artists and professionals are granted Fulbright New
Zealand award in 2019 - in the following categories:
• 8 Fulbright New Zealand Science and Innovation Graduate Grantees
• 1 Fulbright-EQC Award in Natural Disaster Research
• 1 Fulbright-Ngā Pae o Te Māramatanga Graduate Award
• 11 Fulbright New Zealand General Graduate Grantees
• 7 Fulbright US Graduate Awards
• 6 Fulbright New Zealand Scholar Awards
• 1 Fulbright-Ngā Pae o Te Māramatanga Scholar Award
• 2 Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching for New Zealand Teachers
• 1 Fulbright-Creative New Zealand Pacific Writer’s Residency Award
• 1 Fulbright-Wallace Arts Trust Award
• 4 Fulbright US Scholar Awards
• 8 Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching for US Teachers
• 6 Fulbright Specialist Awards
Applications for all Fulbright New Zealand Graduate Awards are due 1 August annually, and Fulbright New Zealand Scholar
Award applications 1 October annually. More information on all Award categories can be found online at www.fulbright.org.nz
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