Indigenous Legends Scholarship
MAORI & PASIFIKA SCHOLARSHIP
Scholarship Overview
The Indigenous Legends MAORI & PASIFIKA Scholarship is designed to promote and support high-achieving Māori and Pasifika students who aspire to pursue a career in the Creative Industries. Whether you're interested in Graphic Design, Animation, Game Development, or any other creative field, this scholarship provides an incredible opportunity to excel. Offered at Yoobee’s Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Online campuses, this scholarship is awarded annually to students who demonstrate a strong connection to their culture, academic excellence, and a passion for creative design.
Rationale
At Yoobee Colleges, we are committed to fostering diversity and inclusivity in the creative industries. The Indigenous Legends Scholarship aims to uplift Māori and Pasifika students, encouraging them to bring their unique cultural perspectives into the creative field. By supporting students who are passionate about design and culture, we hope to empower the next generation of creative professionals to share their heritage through their work.
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for the Indigenous Legends Scholarship, applicants must;
Be of Māori or Pasifika descent.
Be 16 years of age or older.
Be a citizen of Aotearoa New Zealand or hold a New Zealand residence class visa.
Meet the academic entry requirements for your chosen programme of study.
How do I apply?
To apply for this scholarship, applicants must;
Ensure you meet the eligibility criteria listed above
Complete the online application form for your chosen programme
Submit a creative submission that incorporates traditional cultural elements. This can be a design, animation (hand-drawn or digital), short video, or series of photographs that showcases your creativity and connection to your cultural roots.
Submit a letter addressing:
Your specific interest in the programme with demonstrated examples.
Your future aspirations in your chosen field
How receiving the scholarship will help remove financial barriers and allow you to achieve your goals.
Provide a reference from someone who can speak to your abilities and potential in the creative field.
Academic Expectations The scholarship recipient is expected to meet the following academic requirements:
maintain the academic standards required for their chosen programme
Meet all programme attendance requirements
Complete the programme within the standard duration for full-time students.
Additional Information
The scholarship entitles the winner to a one-year, fully paid scholarship to a programme offered by Yoobee Colleges.
The scholarship cannot be redeemed for cash or transferred to another person.
Living costs are eligible to be paid via Studylink. Learn more about living costs in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch.
Limited number of scholarships available to eligible applicants
For any questions or to submit your application, please contact: scholarships@yoobeecolleges.com
Start your application here!
What's the task?
We invite you to create for us a submission that has a traditional cultural element.
Your job is to think outside the square and submit a design, animation (hand-drawn or digital), short video or series of photographs.
Your submission must contain traditional cultural elements.
The scholarship entitles the winner to a one-year, fully-paid scholarship to a programme offered by Yoobee Colleges.
The scholarship cannot be redeemed for cash or transferred to another person. Should the winners be eligible for their first year free under the FEES FREE policy, the scholarship will transfer to cover the second year of study at Yoobee Colleges.
Selection Criteria
To be eligible, applicants must:
Be of Maori or Pasifika descent
Be over the age of 16
Be a citizen of Aotearoa New Zealand or hold a New Zealand residence class visa.
Meet the academic entry requirements for Year 1 of your chosen bachelor’s programme.
Demonstrate English language proficiency (if your first language is not English), with an IELTS score of 6.0 or above and no band lower than 5.5.
Submit a letter that describes the applicants drivers to apply and covers the following points:
their specific interest in the programme with demonstrated examples
their future aspirations in this field
how receiving the scholarship will help remove financial barriers in order to achieve stated goals
Provide a reference (someone to tell us how awesome you are at your chosen field).
Create your submission.
Begin an application for one of our programs by filling in the form above.
The Selection Panel will also take into account the applicant’s willingness and ability to fully participate in, and contribute to, the Indigenous Legends programme.
Any questions and submissions to: scholarships@yoobeecolleges.com
Hakopa Ririnui, February’s Rotorua Indigenous Legends Scholarship Winner
Hakopa Ririnui is our most recent recipient of our Indigenous Legends Scholarship at our Rotorua Campus.
A descendant of Ngāi te Rangi and Ngāti Ranginui iwi from Tauranga, 24-year-old Hakopa Ririnui says he is a passionate advocate for his whanau and people, and he wants to see more Māori youth moving into creative study.
Hakopa has a passion to express the korero spoken on the marae in a visual form through animation and digital art for the younger generations.
“In the past five years, I have been learning Te Reo alongside my parents. This study really helped me understand and become more connected to my culture and language. From this, I have become ambitious to create art and creative work that represents my culture and its stories.”
Creativity has always been in Hakopa’s veins. He grew up in a hardworking family mainly immersed in sports and rugby, and is the only child of six to have taken an interest in the creative field.
“I’ve always loved art and growing up I spent every free minute I had creating art – I just wasn’t sure where it could take me in terms of a career.”
Moving into full-time work straight out of high school Hakopa found he had less and less time to spend on his art.
“Year on year I felt like I was burying my talents in the ground and it didn’t feel right. With this scholarship, I can now take the leap of faith and turn my passion into a career.”
Hakopa submitted a Matariki inspired 2D design as part of his scholarship entry and Jo McCormick, Campus Team Leader at Yoobee Colleges Rotorua says Hakopa’s talent and passion was immediately clear.
“When I first met with Hakopa, it was hard not to be impressed with his art, but what impressed me, even more, was his personality and his passion towards his art and culture. His application was supported by a letter from his Kaumatua and his Matariki inspired submission was unanimously chosen by the scholarship panel.”
“I have always loved creating digital art and characters from my imagination with many influences, but it would be amazing to learn how to put my 2D drawings into motion and I feel like Yoobee Colleges will be the best place to do this. When I applied for this scholarship I was very inspired when I saw artwork by Lee Tawhai on the Yoobee Colleges website – I have never seen this anywhere else.”
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