Taima van der Leden of Ōraka-Aparima (Bates whānau) and Tūhourangi is the first recipient of a new scholarship established by Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu and the Agria Corporation. The Agria-Hōaka scholarship will enable Tāima to spend the next 12 months studying Mandarin at the prestigious Tsinghua University in Beijing, China.
Twenty-year-old Tāima has just completed her first year studying toward a Bachelor of Science, majoring in mathematics and physics, and a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Māori and Spanish at the University of Auckland. She plans to start a Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) next year once she returns from China, with a focus on environmental or natural resources.
Taima was raised in Rotorua where she was immersed in Te Ao Māori from a young age, attending kōhanga reo, kura kaupapa Māori and being actively involved at her several marae. Taima and her whānau are actively involved with the Ngāi Tahu ki Rotorua Taurahere group.
Taima was presented with her scholarship at a ceremony earlier this month attended by Agria Corporation chair Alan Lai, the Chinese Consulate General, Madam Tan Xiutian, and Ngāi Tahu Holdings chief executive Mike Sang. This partnership and relationship between Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu and Agria Corporation (New Zealand) is based on a common commitment to intergenerational excellence. Agria Corporation is a China-based agriculture company with operations in China and internationally while Ngāi Tahu and Agria are shareholders in PGG Wrightson.
From left, Alan Lai, Taima van der Leden, Madame Tan Xiutian and Ngāi Tahu Holdings chief executive Mike Sang.