AUT announces memorial scholarship for Eric and Kathy Hertz
AUT University is pleased to announce that the lives of former 2degrees CEO Eric Hertz and his wife Kathy will be memorialised in a $140,000 (US) scholarship for Māori and Pacific Island students.
Endowed by the Trilogy International Foundation, established by the founders of Trilogy International Partners, the Scholarship is a fitting legacy to a couple that invested personally in the lives of the communities they were part of.
The Eric and Kathy Hertz Scholarship Fund will be used over the next three to five years to help Māori and Pacifica business students fully realise their potential and personal abilities. It will assist them to study at home and travel abroad to experience a different way of life.
One form of scholarship, worth $5000 per student, will cover the cost of residential accommodation at AUT. A second scholarship, also worth $5000 per award, will assist second and third year students with an academic exchange to a university in the United States or Canada.
Eric and Kathy were US-born and lived in a number of countries before making New Zealand their home.
In 2015 AUT will offer up to five exchange scholarships and five residential scholarships. For information on how to apply please contact the Programme Director Equity for the Faculty of Business and Law, Agnes Naera – phone: 021924475 email: agnes.naera@aut.ac.nz
The scholarships will be awarded by an AUT committee and a representative from Eric and Kathy’s families.
AUT Vice Chancellor Derek McCormack says, “It’s not easy to conceive of the most respectful way to keep the memory of someone alive in the wake of such a tragedy.
"Eric and Kathy committed much of their time to promoting opportunities for Māori and Pacific Island youth as well as mentoring them at AUT, so it is fitting the scholarships are in keeping with their passions for higher education and native peoples.
“The gift of higher education is a transformational one. We want Māori and Pacifica students to have the opportunity to study with us here at AUT but also be able to experience what a top class overseas university has to offer.”
Trilogy International Partners Founding Director and 2degrees Director John Stanton says Eric and Kathy’s families believe the memorial is a great way of celebrating their legacy in New Zealand.
“Travelling overseas and gaining fresh perspectives on the world is the kind of experience you can’t put a price on. It’s this life experience that young students will bring home to New Zealand to share with others.”
Notes:
Eric and Kathy Hertz were both killed when their private airplane crashed off the coast of Kawhia on Easter weekend 2013. Trilogy International Partners is the majority shareholder of 2degrees.