Inaugural Recipients of the Borrin Foundation – NPM 2022 Postgraduate Scholarship

To contribute to increasing Māori postgraduate scholarship in law, the Borrin Foundation has partnered with Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga. A pool of $80,000 is available annually to support a Māori scholar to pursue a post-graduate degree in law at a New Zealand university or at an overseas institution.

For the first year of offering the scholarship, the Foundation decided to make two awards, and has awarded those scholarships to two exceptional candidates. The inaugural 2022 scholars are:

Borrin Foundation – Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga 2022 Postgraduate Scholarship for Zachary Katene. 

bout Zachary

Ngāti Toarangatira, Ngāti Tūwharetoa.         

Zachary grew up in Hamilton, where he attended high school at the Church College of New Zealand.  His first job was milking cows with his uncle in Pio Pio during the school holidays. Then when he was 19, he served a volunteer mission in Australia. Driven by a desire to solve problems that affect people’s lives, Zachary decided to study business and law.  While at law school he discovered a passion for advocacy and negotiation, achieving first place in the Waikato regional negotiation competition, an Australasian Universities negotiation competition, and the National Kaupapa Māori Moot. In 2017, he graduated from the University of Waikato with a Bachelor of Management Studies (Hons) and a Bachelor of Laws (Hons). Zachary started his legal career at the Auckland office of Simpson Grierson.  While there, he spent time in the tax and construction law teams and had the opportunity to work with several iwi and Māori-owned companies on a range of projects. Zachary and his wife, Nadia, have four children: Quinn, Tairua, Kauri and Stanford.

What Zachary is studying

Zachary is pursuing a Master of Laws in Corporate Governance & Practice at Stanford Law School in California, USA. During his time at the University of Waikato and Simpson Grierson, Zachary learned of the growing Māori economy and the commercial possibilities this is creating for Māori.  In this, he has seen the need for greater governance and leadership expertise within Māori-owned businesses to take full advantage of these possibilities. In his programme at Stanford Law School, Zachary is examining the most pressing challenges facing large businesses today and, with his classmates, exploring contemporary solutions to the same.  Being in the heart of ‘Silicon Valley,’ he also has the unique opportunity to observe governance arrangements in a highly innovative environment. By advocating for and teaching effective corporate governance and leadership, Zachary hopes to play a significant role in harnessing the potential of the Māori economy to effect change for Māori communities. In particular, by reducing poverty, addressing health and housing concerns and providing greater access to higher education.

Grant amount

$80,000

Quote

“Successful, well-governed whānau, iwi or hapu owned companies are one of the fastest ways to whānau wellbeing, because of the direct benefits of employment, income and training they provide. I want to advance the goal of “Ko te Māori e arataki ana i a Aotearoa ki te ao kei mua” – Māori leading Māori into the future.”



Borrin Foundation – Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga 2022 Postgraduate Scholarship for Benjamin Morgan

About Ben

Ben (Ngāti Awa, Te Patuwai) is from Motiti Island, just off the coast of Tauranga. Ben is a current law student and tutor. His motivation to pursue post-graduate study is rooted in his experiences as a Māori in Aotearoa New Zealand and former cop. At Police College, Ben was awarded the Minister’s prize for General Excellence. Ben hopes to contribute to the creation of a reimagined justice system that upholds the mana of all participants. Ben graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Criminology in 2016 and will complete his LLB in June 2022. In 2021 he was the Co-Treasurer of Te Rākau Ture (Māori Law Students' Association), and a mentor for Māori law students at the University of Auckland. In addition to his studies, Ben is also the Chief Operating Officer at Agreeable Ltd, which aims to make relationship property law more accessible, and is a law clerk at Britomart Chambers. Ben has a passion for politics and justice issues and can often be found getting into debates and deep diving into current events.  In his spare time, he is an avid gym-goer and recently speared his first kingfish!

What Ben is studying

Ben will begin working towards an LLM in mid-2022.  Ben intends to focus on the intersection between criminal law and policy, technology, and indigenous law at a university in the US. He takes inspiration from vehicles for change such as Te Ao Marama and hopes to add his voice to the development of a mana-enhancing justice system in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Grant amount

$80,000

Quote

“I want to contribute towards creating a justice system in Aotearoa that is empathetic and where Te Ao Māori informs practices across all levels. I want to use my experiences to drive positive change and create a future where my whānau can trust that the justice system will treat them fairly and with respect.”

Dates for the next round

Applications for the Borrin Foundation Justice Fellowship and the Borrin – Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga Scholarship are invited annually in August. Applications for the Travel and Learning Awards are invited twice a year.

Information on eligibility criteria and how to apply can be found here: https://www.borrinfoundation.nz/fellowshipsawards/

MORE INFORMATION

The Michael and Suzanne Borrin Foundation was established in 2018 through a $38 million bequest by the late Judge Ian Borrin. It is a philanthropic organisation which supports legal research, education, and scholarship. The Foundation’s current strategic areas of focus are the criminal justice system, family law and access to civil justice.