36 Canty entries for awards

Press, 17 October 1986, Page 5

36 Canty entries for awards

Thirty-six young people in Canterbury are among 343 New Zealanders who have entered the A.G.C. Young Achievers Awards. Applications closed at the end of last month, but late entries were still being received, said one of the award co-ordina-tors, Mrs Anne Hargreaves. Award winners will be announced in December.

Canterbury entries were in three of the four categories, including sport, art, and academic. No entry had been received from Canterbury in the enterprise section.

A third of the entrants were in from Auckland, reflecting its greater population, said Mrs Hargreaves. The organisers were pleased that the entries reflected a “good mix of both Maoris and Polynesians, as well as Europeans of diverse ethnic backgrounds,” she said.

The standard of the applications had also been high.

An overwhelming number of the entries were in the sports category, which

was “perhaps a reflection of the emphasis young New Zealanders place on outdoor pursuits, but also because the achievers in this field have readily listed their accomplishments and specific goals,” said Mrs Hargreaves. Almost all the entrants had set their sights on representing New Zealand at forthcoming world championships or future Olympic Games. The enterprise category had been the least popular and had been misunderstood. Some entries had come from individuals on behalf of groups seeking to fund community projects rather than for individual enterprise, said Mrs Hargreaves. Ballet dancers represented the largest number of applicants in the arts category. In the academic category, most of the applicants were university students seeking to further their studies overseas. The concept of the awards was to provide finance for young achievers needing further funding to pursue their goals.