Eisenhower Scholarships Open To All Candidates

Press, Volume C, Issue 29467, 20 March 1961, Page 16

Eisenhower Scholarships Open To All Candidates

(Hew Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, March 19. The Eisenhower scholarship valued at 2000 dollars and won by a Mangakino boy was not available only to Mormon College students, as had been suggested, said Mr A. P. Anderson, president of the New Zealand South Mission of the Mormon Church, and a member of the advisory board of the Mormon College at Hamilton, tonight. The boy, Rangiora Te Maari, has received a £l5O grant from the Minister of Maori Affairs (Mr Hanan) to enable him to return to the college to complete studies for School Certifictae.

The scholarship was available to all students, Mr Anderson said. He said he could not see why other schools would not know of it. Even though staff at the Mormon College were mainly Americans, he did not feel they had special knowledge of the award being available.

Mr Anderson said he was not familiar as to the way in which information concern-

ing the Eisenhower scholarship was made available to schools. Mr Hanan said tonight he felt critics of the award of the scholarship to the boy were “off the beam.” “In my opinion young Rang! is the type of lad who should do well in the university. His scholarship will be much more valuable if he has first passed his University Entrance in New Zealand, or better still obtained a New Zealand degree. “In view of his record of misfortune and his family’s financial circumstances I feel that a grant from nongovernmental special Maori education funds is fully justified. “If other cases of equal merit are brought to my notice I will have no hesitation in doing all within my power to enable Maori boys and girls, especially those from remote areas, to have the opportunity of higher education.”