Fulbright New Zealand announces winners of 2018 General Graduate Awards

WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND, 24 May, 2018 — Fulbright New Zealand is delighted to announce the four Fulbright New Zealand General Graduate Award Grantees for 2018:

• Rez Gardi from Auckland will complete a Master of Laws in human rights and international law at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Rez graduated with a LLB(Hons) and BA conjoint from the University of Auckland in 2016.

• Tess McClure from Wellington will complete a Master of Arts specializing in Journalism at Columbia University in New York City, New York. Tess graduated with a BA and PGDip in Journalism from University of Canterbury in 2013.

• Kate Stone from Wellington will complete a Masters of Laws specializing human rights, and law and social change at Columbia University in New York City, New York. Kate graduated with a BA (Hons) in political science in 2008 and an LLB in 2011 from Victoria University of Wellington, and an LLM from the University of Auckland in 2016.

• Jane Yonge from Wellington will complete a Masters in Arts Politics at Tisch School of the Arts at New York University in New York City, New York. Jane graduated with a BA(Hons) in Drama from the University of Auckland in 2011 and a MThA in Directing from Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School and Victoria University of Wellington in 2015.

Fulbright New Zealand General Graduate Awards are for promising New Zealand graduate students to undertake postgraduate study or research at US institutions in any field. This year’s grantees will head to the United States this August after being honoured at the annual Fulbright New Zealand Awards Ceremony at Parliament on Monday 18 June 2018, hosted by Rt. Hon Winston Peters.

The Fulbright programme aims to promote mutual understanding through educational and cultural exchanges.

“I want to use my experiences as a refugee to make a difference as an advocate in the global crisis. I want to represent the needs of refugees and fight for the protection of their human rights,” said Rez Gardi, who was honoured as Young New Zealander of the Year 2017. “The story behind Fulbright really resonated with me. In particular, the focus on community involvement and peace-building furthers my personal alignment with the ethos of Fulbright.”

Established 70 years ago, Fulbright New Zealand offers a variety of awards to graduates and scholars hoping to make cross-cultural connections in their work. From law to arts, each grantee hopes the Fulbright experience will have an important impact their work:

“As a theatre practitioner and arts advisor I am curious about international arts infrastructure and arts policy. The ways in which we fund and value arts in Aotearoa New Zealand aren’t working for many theatre makers and venues. I want to know what the international arts climate is like and how theatre practitioners living in different countries react, respond, and lead their arts sector,” said Jane Yonge.

“The focus of my work is on law and social change – my overarching study objective is to look at how law can be deployed as a tool to achieve social change, and in particular to address systemic discrimination in the criminal justice system. The LLM programme I am undertaking at Columbia Law School on my Fulbright will afford me the opportunity to study legal doctrine, but also to put my study into practice,” said Kate Stone.

Due to the recent funding increase from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and other partners, there are new levels for all New Zealand Graduate and Scholar Awards. Applications for next year’s New Zealand Graduate Awards are due 1 August 2018.

For more information, please contact Fulbright New Zealand Communications Manager Rachel Tilghman on Ph. 04 494 1507.

ENDS.

About Fulbright New Zealand

Fulbright New Zealand was established by bilateral treaty in 1948 to administer the Fulbright exchange programme in New Zealand. The Fulbright programme aims to promote mutual understanding through educational and cultural exchanges, so nations might learn at last to live in peace and friendship.

PHOTO: From Left to Right – Rez Gardi, Tess McClure, Kate Stone, Jane Yonge