Research vital to Aotearoa New Zealand supported by the William Georgetti scholarship

From theoretical physics to addressing fundamental issues in the criminal justice system, the nine recipients of the William Georgetti Scholarships for 2023 represent some of the finest student researchers in Aotearoa New Zealand.

The purpose of the Georgetti Scholarship is to encourage postgraduate study and research in fields that are important to the social, cultural or economic development of New Zealand.

The winners of this year’s scholarships are:

Jack Aimer, aged 22, from Christchurch, graduated with a Master of Mathematical Sciences from the University of Canterbury in 2023 and will undertake a Master of Advanced Studies (MASt) in Theoretical Physics at Cambridge University. After completing the MASt, Jack intends to pursue doctoral studies in theoretical physics with a focus on the mathematical theory of black holes.

Jack Aimer

Sam Becroft, aged 27, from Auckland, graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Laws from the University of Otago in 2018, and will study a Master of Laws at either the University of Oxford or the University of Cambridge. Sam is interested in becoming a barrister who acts in both complex commercial litigation and defends those from marginalised communities in criminal trials. He is as equally interested in the chance to improve criminal justice outcomes for minorities as he is in the intellectual challenge of the law.

Sam Becroft

Cathy Breed, aged 29, originally from the Isle of Man and now living in Wellington, completed a Bachelor of History at the University of Cambridge in 2015, and a Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Studies at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University in 2023 where she is now undertaking a Masters of Environmental Studies. Cathy will research the impact of reintroduced conservation species on urban environments. With a specific focus on kākā, her work will draw on the relatively new field of multispecies studies to examine how conservation efforts can both create space for taonga species and change the cities we usually think of as dominated by humans.

Cathy Breed

Justine Lee, aged 22, from Auckland, graduated with a Bachelor of Science (Economics and Psychology) from the University of Canterbury in 2021. At the University of Auckland, she will research the environmental impact of New Zealanders’ diets, focusing on the determinants and predictability of change. Using existing data, Justine will investigate the emissions profile of household grocery purchases, taking into account key markers such as income levels, household characteristics, and geographic locations.

Justine Lee

Robbie Maris, aged 21, from Tauranga, is studying towards a Master of Management Studies in Economics at the University of Waikato and will then undertake a PhD at University College London. Robbie will research the efficacy of the UK’s recently introduced T Level qualifications in improving life chances and providing career opportunities for young people in order to gain insight into improving educational outcomes in New Zealand.

Robbie Maris

Yasmin Olsen, aged 30, from Auckland, graduated with a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from the University of Otago in 2015 and will study a Master of Laws at Yale University. Yasmin’s research will examine how the criminal justice system can better serve wāhine Māori and their communities as victims and defendants, through incremental and transformative change to the justice system.

Yasmin Olsen

Te Maiora Rurehe, aged 24, from Rotorua, graduated with a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Arts in 2021 from the University of Waikato. He will attend Pace University in New York to conduct research in the field of environmental law. Te Maiora will explore issues relating to legal personality and the global phenomenon of granting legal personality to landscapes and riverways – first achieved in New Zealand through Te Urewera National Park and the Whanganui river.

Te Maiora Rurehe

Laura Somerset, aged 23, from Wellington, graduated with a Postgraduate Diploma in International Security Challenges and Governance from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile in 2022, and a Bachelor of Arts from Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington in 2020. Laura will undertake a Masters of Urban Development at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Her thesis will examine the lessons Aotearoa New Zealand and Chile can take from their respective constitutional reform journeys in the context of urban spaces. She will investigate the potential for new constitutional models to give effect to more just and sustainable cities, with particular focus on enshrining the governance rights of Indigenous groups.

Laura Somerset

Kat Werry, aged 26, from Wellington, graduated with a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Auckland in 2020. She will complete a Master of Laws at Harvard Law School specialising in criminal justice and criminal procedure with a focus on wrongful convictions and false confessions – a fast-developing area of the law critical to the foundation of the criminal justice system.

Kat Werry

Applications for next years’ William Georgetti Scholarship open on 1 October 2023 and close on 1 February 2024. Details are available on the scholarship’s page on the Universities New Zealand – Te Pōkai Tara website.

The Georgetti scholarship is one of around 35 administered by Universities New Zealand.

For more information about this year’s recipients or to arrange an interview, contact comms@universitiesnz.ac.nz or +64 27 636 5050.