Scholarships & Awards Recipients Recognised

Sumner Ferrymead Foundation Chair, Martin Hawes and Nico Heather, recipient of the Apprentice Award

Sumner Ferrymead Foundation Trustee, John Christensen and Ralph Bungard from Heathcote Cricket Club, recipients of the Sports Award

Recipients of the Sumner Ferrymead Foundation’s Scholarships & Awards Programme - along with their families, friends, and club members – celebrated their success at the Foundation’s awards evening at Mt Pleasant Community Centre on Friday.

This is the fifth year of the Scholarships & Awards Programme, and once again there were some outstanding applications for both the individual and community awards. Sumner Ferrymead Foundation Chair, Martin Hawe, said it is gratifying to see the number of applications increasing each year. “I think it’s fair to say we we’ve got the mix right between awards for individuals and community groups, as well as the categories within each one. We are indebted to the individuals and businesses within our community sponsor the awards; without them, this would not be possible.

Foundation Trustee, John Christensen, has been involved with the programme since its inception, and takes the lead on the individual scholarships & awards. “Whilst it’s time-consuming and challenging to identify the successful recipients, it’s an incredibly rewarding process to go through as there as some fantastic young people out there. Once we’ve drawn up a short list, we get to the really interesting part where we meet with them. You can’t help but come away thinking Wow! And then the debate begins as to who is the worthy recipient.

The community awards were introduced last year to celebrate the 30 years of community support by the Sumner Ferrymead Foundation. Andrew Clark is one of the trustees who reviews all the applications. “I knew I was fortunate to live in the Sumner Ferrymead Foundation catchment area – from Taylors Mistake through to Heathcote and around to Brookhaven – but it wasn’t until we reviewed all the applications from the community groups that I realised just how many different clubs, groups, and organisations there were in our community. There is something of interest for everyone, be it sport, music, environmental projects….

The 2025 Scholarships & Awards evening might be over, but already the Sumner Ferrymead Foundation trustees are starting to think about 2026. “To keep the programme running we would love to hear from anyone who would like to become a sponsor. You might like to sponsor a current award or maybe you have an idea for a new one. Regardless we would love to talk to you,” said Hawe. A Sumner resident who is a long-term sponsor of the Environment Award said sponsoring an award is a great way to put something back into your local community. “I love walking over the Port Hills so the Environment Award ticks both the ‘greening NZ’ and the ‘local community’ boxes for me.