Awards ceremony details

Date: 13 March 2025

Venue: Parliament, Te Whanganui-a-Tara | Wellington

Time: 3.30pm – 8.00pm

Livestream: a livestream link will be published on the following page.

Ngarimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion Memorial scholarships

Join us in paying tribute to Sir Robert Gillies and celebrating our deserving scholars as they receive their special awards.

Tribute to the late Sir Robert Gillies

The ceremony will also include a special tribute to the late Sir Robert Gillies, who passed away in November 2024, as the last surviving member of the 28th (Māori) Battalion.

About the scholarships

The 2025 Ngarimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion Memorial Scholarships Awards Ceremony will be held at Parliament in Te Whanganui-a-Tara | Wellington on Thursday, 13 March.

These prestigious scholarships honour ākonga Māori pursuing tertiary studies who exemplify the values of the 28th (Māori) Battalion, offering inspiration, mentoring and financial support on their educational journeys.

The 2025 scholarship recipients include 1 doctoral candidate, 3 masters students, 3 undergraduate students and 2 vocational education and training students.

Ngarimu competitions

This year’s ceremony will also celebrate the winners of the Ngarimu video competition and the inaugural Ngarimu waiata composition competition.

These competitions give ākonga Māori in Years 7-13 the chance to showcase the rich contributions of the 28th (Māori) Battalion members from whom they descend or are connected to through their wider hapū and iwi.