The Trevor Davies International Fellowship

Purpose

The purpose of the Trevor Davies International Fellowship is to provide financial assistance to individuals engaged in ornamental horticulture in New Zealand, who require a short term (up to 12 months), period of study/work experience abroad at an appropriate organisation, to extend their personal knowledge and experience and to benefit the ornamental/nursery industry in this country.

Tenure and Value

The Fellowship shall be awarded annually. The value of the Fellowship shall be up to a total value of $5,000. Funding is intended to contribute to costs, but is not intended to cover all expenses. Funding can be used as a contribution to expenses relating to travel, accommodation, living and/or tuition costs.

Photo courtesy of Stepping Stones Nursery Ltd

Eligibility

Applicants must be New Zealand citizens or Permanent Residents and be engaged in the ornamental horticultural industry.

Criteria

The Fellowship will be awarded on the following criteria: -

• Strength of the applicant’s curriculum vitae (CV) and their related industry employment record.
• Strength of the proposed programme of study/work experience (well-defined, achievable within the time stipulated, etc.) and the suitability of the destination organisation.  Proof should be provided of the applicant’s acceptance in principle into the proposed programme of study/work experience.
• Potential benefit of the proposed study/work experience abroad to the applicant's personal development and to the benefit of the sector in New Zealand. The applicant must show how they will be employed in New Zealand at the conclusion of the proposed programme of study/work experience.
• Evidence of financial support that will allow the proposed programme to be undertaken satisfactorily.

Responsibility for the Award

The Fellowship will be administered by The Trevor Davies International Fellowship Selection Committee which will be a subcommittee of the SVDF Trust. The subcommittee will include the appointee to the SVDF Trust from the NGIA.

Photo courtesy of Stepping Stones Nursery Ltd.

Payment

The Fellowship shall be paid in one payment at an appropriate time on receipt of confirmation of arrangements.

Conditions of the Award

• The awardee may hold other awards and scholarships provided the rules of the other award(s) make such provision.
• The awardee must take up with Fellowship within one year of receiving the award and return to New Zealand within one year of completing the programme of study/work experience.
• If there are no applicants of sufficient merit the Selection Committee may refrain from making an award.
• The SVDF Trustees may withdraw funding for the award in any one year but this must be done prior to applications being considered.
• The SVDF Trustees may vary the regulations at its own discretion if it deems it necessary, provided that the essential purposes of the Fellowship are fulfilled as far as possible.

Reporting

The awardee must provide two reports to the SVDF as a condition of receiving the Fellowship. The first report is due at the end of the first 6 months of the study/work experience period and a second and final report is due within 30 days of the awardee returning to New Zealand. These reports must include information about the background of the awardee, the purpose of the study/work experience, the host institution, the benefits achieved by the individual, and the relevance to New Zealand. These reports will be published on the SVDF website.

It is also expected that each awardee will speak at an NGIA annual conference about their experiences.

Closing Date

The closing date for applications is 31 March annually.

Applications

Application forms are available from:

The Trevor Davies International Fellowship
Sir Victor Davies Foundation
8A Herapeka Street
Taupo 3330

Or from the SVDF website: http://www.svdf.org.nz

Application Form

Completed application forms should be sent, by the closing date, to:

The Trevor Davies International Fellowship
Sir Victor Davies Foundation
8A Herapeka Street
Taupo 3330