Kaia George is a 2023 Te Kakau a Māui scholarship recipient. In 2023, 164 students from deciles 1-7 schools were awarded the scholarship, which covers full tuition fees for an undergraduate degree and a robust pastoral support programme to ensure students succeed and thrive at University.This was made possible through generous philanthropic support from the general public, and form the McCall MacBain foundation and UniLodge.
For first year student Kaia George, University was the best place for her to decide what she wanted to do with her life.
Kaia is one of 164 students who came to the University of Canterbury through the Te Kakau a Māui Scholarship programme that was set up to mark the University’s 150th Anniversary.
Earlier in the year, the University received a generous donation of more than $1 million from the McCall MacBain Foundation and UniLodge towards the Te Kakau a Māui scholarship programme. The programme also benefitted from numerous philanthropic contributions from the wider UC community.
The scholarship recipients have come from decile 1-7 schools in Te Waipounamu, the South Island. Kaia comes from Cave, a small town near Timaru which, in the 2018 census, had a population of 78 people.
“Before I came to uni, I was thinking about the practicalities of what I was going to do, what I was going to study, and if I’d even get in,” she said. She’s now pursuing a degree in Law and Criminal Justice, along with a few psychology papers on the side.
“Moneywise as well, I was thinking about how I could financially do it. I also had to consider the option of going straight to full time work.”
In the end, becoming a Te Kakau a Māui scholarship recipient sealed the deal and now that she’s at UC, there’s no place she’d rather be.
More than just financial support, Te Kakau a Māui scholarships also provide a robust support network for students to ensure they thrive and succeed.
“I get checked on every so often by Angus, the student success coach, which is great,” said Kaia. “We occasionally go out for food together so they can check on the group as a whole.”
The students are put into social hubs called Homebases that consist of about 10 students each, and Kaia recently went out to pizza with her homebase to talk about how their studies were going. “It’s nice to talk to other scholarship recipients and it’s easy to make new friends from the programme.”
It’s reassuring to know that there’s a team of people who she knows is supporting her and to whom she can turn if she had questions or needed help, she said.
The Te Kakau a Māui team also invited her to take part in self-development courses, including a Success Coaching session that helped her discover more about herself.
