Fruitbowl - Fresh Ideas from Hawke's Bay

A unique education grant has been launched to encourage tertiary study in Hawke’s Bay with service in the New Zealand Army’s Territorial Forces.

The grant is a combination of paid work in the territorial forces and study at EIT.

The grant, sponsored by Geon Print and Communication Solutions and The Services Charitable Trust, is being offered to Hawke’s Bay high school and EIT students who train in the volunteer force and study at EIT. Neville Smith, Geon’s General Manager – Central North Island and Lieutenant Commander of the Royal New Zealand Navy Volunteer Reserve, says “this is an opportunity for students to kick-start their military service while staying in Hawke’s Bay and getting an education.”

Successful applicants will do 52 days recruit training in Waiouru and then pick up studies at EIT. They will also be required to put in 20 days a year working some weekends with the reserves. Territorial Force personnel receive a daily rate of pay for any training attended.

The $2000 grant is to be paid in four staged allocations.

Applicants must be aged 17 years or over and meet entry criteria for the reserves and for their selected programme of study at EIT. Women and men are eligible and must live in the Hawke’s Bay region – from Wairoa to Dannevirke.

Applications close on 10 September and the successful grant winners will be announced on November 1.

The grant winners will be assigned to the 7th Wellington Hawkes Bay Battalion based in Napier. The recruit training can be completed between mid November to January (with a break for Christmas and New Year’s) or from February to April at Waiouru. Upon graduation they will be fully fledged members of the 7th Wellington Hawkes Bay Battalion, an infantry battalion that can trace its history back to 1863.

 Lieutenant Colonel Jeremy Harker of the New Zealand Army’s 7th Battalion, based in Napier, said “the grant gives the recipients a chance to have it all.”

“Combining tertiary study with army training while living at home in Hawke’s Bay is unique to the region and is a great opportunity for students.”

 The training, physically demanding and with an emphasis on team dynamics, problem solving and adventure activities, will be followed by EIT study in the second semester.

After completing study at EIT, applicants will be able to apply to any of the services within the Defence Force.

There are three grants available per year for the next three years.