Applications for the 2012 Prime Minister’s Pacific Youth Awards open today giving young Pacific people the opportunity to have their talent and leadership potential recognised.
Pacific Island Affairs Minister, Hekia Parata, says the programme, now in its third year, is a great opportunity for Pacific communities to encourage their future leaders to achieve their dreams.
“There is a huge amount of talent and potential among New Zealand’s young people and this is a great opportunity to celebrate that,” Ms Parata says.
“I know that Pacific people are often shy about coming forward but I would really like to encourage you to think seriously about these opportunities, if not for yourself then for other family members or friends.”
In additional to the four other categories, the Vodafone NZ Foundation’s Mobiles4Good Award will be launched this year.
The Award aims to recognise someone who has used mobile technology to solve a problem for their community or used mobile technology to bring a community together.
“It’s a great addition to a suite of awards which include educational, employment and overseas travel opportunities,” says Ms Parata.
The four other categories include:
The University of Auckland Award for Leadership offering tuition for the University of Auckland of up to $6,000 per annum.
The Weta Workshop Award for Creativity offering a paid internship at Weta Workshop.
The Air New Zealand Innovation Award offering a place on Air New Zealand’s Aviation Institute’s first year pre-employment aircraft maintenance training programme to the value of $7,400.
The Cogita Software Award for Inspiration offering an inspiring educational overseas trip worth up to $5,000.
Application forms are available at www.pacificyouthawards.org.nz. Applications close on August 27, 2012.
