PKW and Ravensdown congratulate this year’s recipient of the PKW-Ravensdown scholarship, Starsha Bird.

Starsha grew up in Te Awamutu, where she attended Te Awamutu College. She is now in her fourth year at Waikato University, studying a Bachelor of Science majoring in Environmental Science and minoring in Geographic Information systems (GIS).

The PKW-Ravensdown Scholarship is for whānau of Parininihi ki Waitōtara shareholders undertaking undergraduate study in agriculture, horticulture, science or environmental based degrees where stewardship of the land is a key component of study.

Winning this scholarship has given me the opportunity to connect with PKW and Ravensdown, who both share my passion for forming sustainable, efficient agriculture practices to give our people a brighter future.

“This scholarship will help to ease the financial pressure of university and allow me to focus on my studies. I’m extremely grateful to the teams at PKW and Ravensdown.”

Starsha is passionate about improving our land for iwi and future generations. After Starsha graduates, she is hoping to work alongside others who are passionate about finding solutions that enable the agricultural sector to work more harmoniously with the environment in a way that meets each other’s needs.

“My studies will enable me to pursue a career path that helps to address the environmental concerns that we are facing – there are significant challenges that we need to overcome and I’m looking forward to being part of that journey.”

Parininihi ki Waitōtara is a Maori Incorporation based in Taranaki with a strong focus on innovative and sustainable solutions to create long-term value for present and future generations. The foundation of their business is 20,000 hectares of fertile land. Their business interests branch from there into dairy farming, crayfish, forestry and commercial property.

You can find out more about the PKW-Ravensdown scholarship on our careers page.