07 September 2022 Doctoral scholarship delivers for Nicole

The Kinesiology and Exercise Science student, whose whakapapa is Kāi Tahu, is working with a female junior rugby team from the Prebbleton club to study the effect of collisions in the game, with the aim of making rugby a safer sport for all.

"The scholarship has helped a lot as I wouldn’t be able to afford to complete a PhD on my own," Nicole said.

The scholarship covers tuition fees and offers a stipend of $28,000 per annum.

The stipend helps me not have to worry about working part-time while completing my PhD, therefore I can put all my time and effort into it.

"Plus the Te Manutaki team are always there for us Māori students and working their magic behind the scenes to tautoko us whether it’s academically related or not," Nicole added.