Okareka Charitable Trust Scholarship

*Scholarship & Award Regulations

The following regulations relate to a scholarship offered by Okareka Charitable Trust (Sponsor) and Te Pūkenga trading as Manukau Institute of Technology (MIT). By applying for the scholarship, you agree to be bound by these regulations.

1. Scholarship Name

• Okareka Charitable Trust Scholarship (“Scholarship”)

2. Purpose of the Scholarship

• 2.1 The purpose of the Scholarship is to provide tuition fee support MIT ākonga (student) enrolled in the final year of their programme in 2025, who is motivated to pursue a career in their chosen industry and make a positive difference in society.
• 2.2 MIT recognises that financial support is an important consideration for our ākonga in managing their study goals. The scholarship assists with tuition fees and provides career mentoring and guidance opportunities.
• 2.3 Ākonga who can demonstrate academic excellence, commitment to learning and pursuing a career in their chosen industry and show initiative in their personal life and/or study are encouraged to apply.

3. Scholarship Financial Value

• 3.1 The value of each scholarship is $5,000 for a full year of full-time study; or pro-rata for one semester full-time programme.
• 3.2 The scholarship is provided to ākonga to assist with tuition fees and is paid:
  • In week six of each semester directly to ākonga StudyLink or MIT fees accounts
  • If the ākonga is eligible for any Fees Free government initiative funding, your fees will be covered first and foremost by Fees Free with the scholarship assisting with any further tuition fee requirements.
• 3.3 A pro-rata value will also be considered for ākonga who are already permitted to study part-time because they are either disabled ākonga or they have carers responsibilities as either sole parents or whanau/fanau members.
• 3.4 Recipients may not defer or suspend the scholarship without the prior written permission of the awarding Director and Sponsor.
• 3.5 Once awarded for a particular programme and School, the Scholarship is not transferrable to another MIT programme or School, or to any other subsidiary or business division of Te Pūkenga.

4. Duration

• 4.1 The scholarship is awarded for up to one year i.e., two semesters of consecutive study. Where an ākonga is awarded the scholarship for a programme that lasts for one semester, then the duration of the scholarship is one semester only. Regardless of programme length the scholarship will be terminated at the end of the 2025 academic year. Scholarship duration will be outlined in successful recipient offer letters.

5. Who Is Eligible?

• 5.1 To apply, you must:
  • be a domestic ākonga, for example, a New Zealand citizen or Permanent Resident;
  • enrolled in the final semester or year of one of the programmes below in 2025:
    • Digital Technologies
      • Bachelor of Digital Technologies (Level 7)
    • Baking, Culinary and Hospitality
      • New Zealand Certificate in Cookery (Level 4)
    • Engineering & Trades
      • New Zealand Certificate in Mechanical Engineering (Level 3)
      • New Zealand Diploma in Engineering Technology (Level 6)
    • Nursing, Health and Social Work
      • Bachelor of Nursing (Level 7)
      • New Zealand Diploma in Pharmacy (Level 6)
    • Logistics
      • New Zealand Diploma in International Logistics (Freight Forwarding) (Level 5)

6. How To Apply

• 6.1 Apply online using the online form.
• 6.2 As part of your application, you will need to respond to the following questions:
  • Tell us a little about yourself, especially around your goals and achievements, community involvement and personal strengths. (Examples of community involvement include church, sports, or interest group networks. Personal strengths can include anything that helps you reach goals, for example - hardworking, an achiever).
  • What are you studying at MIT, and what are your employment and career aspirations beyond that?
  • What motivates you to succeed in your study?
  • Please detail the financial challenges and/or difficult circumstances you believe would support this application, and how will this scholarship help support you with your studies.
  • Do you have a potential job or type of company you would like to work for and why?
• 6.3 If you are a disabled ākonga, sole parent, or a ākonga with other carer responsibilities, who is applying to study part-time, you will also be asked how does being able to study part-time remove barriers and help you to succeed in your goals?

7. Selection

• 7.1 Once scholarship applications close, the Schools & Community Team (“Team”) check that the applicants have:
  • completed the online application and/or video submission
  • enrolled in the final year of a relevant MIT programme in 2025; and
  • enrolled as a domestic ākonga.
• 7.2 The Team will add the ākonga GPA scores, if applicable, from their most recent semester of MIT study to all eligible applications. They then send the applications to the Scholarship Selection Committee for review.

8. Committee Preferencing

• 8.1 It is important to MIT to manaaki the success of our ākonga and communities. Our strategic vision includes parity goals for Māori, Pacific, and goals to enhance the success of disabled and neurodiverse ākonga. We also want to manaaki the success of first in family to pursue tertiary education, sole parents, and ākonga with low prior achievement.
• 8.2 Preference may be given to ākonga who:
  • are part of MIT priority groups as outlined above in 8.1
  • demonstrate that financial support will have an impact on their ability to continue their studies
  • demonstrate academic success in previous study completed at MIT, if applicable
  • are recent school leavers (i.e., left/completed secondary school in the past 5 years)
  • will be completing their study by the end of 2025 in one of the programmes listed above in 5.1.

9. Selection Committees

• 9.1 Selection committees (“Committee”) are made up of at least three relevant members of MIT including the Team Leader, Schools and Community as Committee Chair (“Committee Chair”), Student Experience and Success Representative and MIT Career Consultant.
• 9.2 The Sponsor will be invited to participate in the selection committee review or may request to review a shortlist advised by the Committee.
• 9.3 The committee review all applications received and will make award recommendations based on a combination of:
  • responses to the scholarship application questions;
  • MIT priority group goals outlined in 8.1 above;
  • Committee and Sponsor preferences outlined in 8.2 above.
• 9.4 Committee award decisions are authorised by the Head of External Engagement upon confirmation from Okareka Charitable Trust who will formalise final Recipient selection.

10. What Happens After Selection?

• 10.1 The Schools & Community team are the kaitiakitanga of the scholarships process. They will:
  • let ākonga know scholarship application outcomes
  • check enrolments at week three of the semester as the final eligibility check
  • set up the tuition fee payments – to be made to ākonga in week six of semester 1 and 2
  • manage ongoing eligibility checks, mentoring opportunities, and future payments
  • report back to Okareka Charitable Trust on the academic progress of the successful applicants each semester.

11. Ongoing Eligibility

• 11.1 Academic progress: Ākonga who are awarded the scholarship are expected to achieve Pass grades for all courses unless exceptional circumstances prevail.
• 11.2 MIT Enrolment: Ākonga are expected to maintain their enrolment status, i.e., be enrolled full-time (minimum of 60 credits) per semester, or part-time as stipulated when their scholarship was awarded.

12. Termination of a Scholarship

• 12.1 Your scholarship will be ended/terminated by MIT if:
  • you withdraw from the MIT course/programme after the start of the programme
  • you cease to meet the eligibility criteria;
  • you breach the academic and enrolment ongoing eligibility requirements and don’t successfully appeal; or
  • MIT determines that you are guilty of misconduct and after consultation with the Team Leader, Schools & Community (or their nominee), deems that it is not appropriate for you to continue to hold the Scholarship.
• 12.2 If MIT terminates the Recipients Scholarship for any of the above reasons, after the start of Semester 1 or 2, MIT may require any Scholarship payment(s) already made be reimbursed to MIT and/or the Sponsor.

13. Other Obligations and Conditions

• The offer of the Scholarship is made subject to all information provided by the Recipient (“Recipient”) being true and accurate.
• By accepting the offer of the Scholarship, the Recipient agrees to these Regulations.
• For the duration of this scholarship ākonga are not allowed to hold other MIT funded scholarships, unless a priority group or equity-based scholarship is approved by the relevant Director and/or Head of School. Ākonga are limited to accessing a maximum of $5,000 of MIT scholarship funding per academic year.
• Towards the end of their programme of study, the Recipient will be invited to attend career counselling and mentoring sessions with MIT Career Consultant.
• The Recipient is responsible for advising the Team Leader, Schools and Community of any changes in circumstances that would make them ineligible for continuation of the Scholarship  e.g. reducing study load to part time, taking leave of absence or deferring study.
• Any change in the Recipient’s circumstances not addressed by these Regulations will be considered by the Team Leader Schools and Community and/or the Scholarship Selection Committee case-by-case.
• MIT is committed to The Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice and ensuring the wellbeing of our ākonga. The scholarships team will track and monitor recipients and check in throughout the duration of the scholarship.
• By accepting the offer of the Scholarship, the Recipient agrees to allow for their personal information to be provided to Okareka Charitable Trust (Sponsor) and authorises MIT and/or Te Pūkenga and Okareka Charitable Trust to use that information (acting reasonably) (names, photos and images) for marketing and promotional purposes without further compensation.
• The Scholarship is not transferrable or exchangeable.

Applications close: 11.59pm, Sunday, 20 October 2024