A new scholarship named in the memory of the late Academic Development Lecturer, Lance Laulala has been launched this week.
The Lance Laulala Memorial Scholarship was made possible through the generous donation of $4,000 from Lance’s colleagues following his passing in July. His funeral service was held at Te Noho Kotahitanga Marae.
“Thank you so much to everyone who contributed. Your kindness and aroha have helped bring this to life,” says Sophie Aleke Fa’avae, Interim Manager Student Support and Scholarships.
“As per Marie’s wishes (Lance’s wife) the incredible donation has allowed us to create four scholarships for the students whom he supported. It is something small that we can do that will continue his legacy.
Lance served at Unitec for more than 22 years, sharing his deep love of maths with anyone who sought his guidance. He was a quiet force of support for so many students, always ready with encouragement, clarity, and care.
“This scholarship will continue his legacy and support students who he supported everyday by providing them with much needed funds to support their studies and remove some of those financial pressures,” Ms Faavae explained.
This scholarship will be offered annually and is designed to support ākonga in their studies by contributing towards education-related costs.
The scholarship is available to all domestic ākonga with New Zealand citizenship or Permanent Residency status, and international ākonga with a valid student visa.
Students must be enrolled in either the New Zealand Diploma in Engineering (Civil), New Zealand Diploma in Engineering (Electrical), Bachelor of Engineering Technology (Civil) or Bachelor of Engineering Technology (Electrical).
Applicants must also have completed and passed at least 120 credits within the New Zealand Diploma in Engineering (Civil), New Zealand Diploma in Engineering (Electrical), Bachelor of Engineering Technology (Civil) or Bachelor of Engineering Technology (Electrical).
Ākonga studying in eligible programmes will soon receive an email inviting them to apply if they meet the eligibility criteria.
Applications close on 17 September 2025.
For more information, including eligibility criteria and application dates, please visit the Unitec website