Support Scholarships
Donor-funded scholarships at the University of Auckland create opportunity, drive equity, and transform student lives across diverse programmes. Find out how you can support them.
Team
The University of Auckland has a dedicated Scholarships team within the Alumni Relations and Development (ARD) service division.
The Scholarships team’s role is to support donors that contribute to scholarships, prizes and awards that create equity and access outcomes at the University of Auckland, as well as motivating and recognising high-performing students.
You can contact our Scholarships team anytime if you’d like to talk about how you can become involved as a donor. If you are already involved in some way and would like to revisit your support to consider other options, we’d also love to hear from you.
On this webpage there is an area called 'Need'. This shares initiatives that are currently unsupported and we are looking to match donors to. These are areas where students are in need of further support, so we’re particularly keen to hear from anyone interested in any of these areas.
Development Manager Scholarships ~ Lee Martelli
021-515-373
Lee has a background in youth development, having worked previously at Choirs Aotearoa helping establish the national training youth choir of 90. Lee worked for several years at Creative New Zealand in the assessment team, and at the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra helping set up their inaugural education programme including 60 partnership schools. Lee is an alumna of the University of Auckland, having studied a Master in Music (Hons) and has served as a professional piano accompanist since. She was awarded a scholarship herself when an undergraduate student!
As a fundraiser, Lee has supported arts and community organizations to fundraise through building relationships. Lee has really enjoyed working with partners such as UNESCO, SOUNZ, MOTAT and working together to do what none of us can do on our own.
In this role, Lee enjoys the opportunity to work with amazing donors to help uplift students, particularly to create access for diverse students to participate at the University of Auckland as this is our superpower being in a multicultural city - few of the other top universities in the world have the opportunity to bring together such diverse perspectives.
Donor Adviser, Scholarships ~ Nora Lu
Nora has a broad knowledge and understanding of the University of Auckland, developed through her experience across several areas of the institution. She previously worked in the Faculty of Engineering, managing the Engineering Scholarships, Prizes and Awards portfolio, before joining the Alumni Relations and Development office as part of the Stewardship team.
In her current role as Donor Advisor, Scholarships, Nora is part of the Scholarships team within Alumni Relations and Development, supporting the donor-funded Scholarships, Prizes and Awards portfolio across the entire university. Nora has a solid understanding of university systems, processes and platforms and loves to problem solve, always looking for new and better ways to support donors!
A proud alumna with a Bachelor of Science from the University of Auckland, Nora’s connection to the university runs deep. Every member of her immediate family is also an alum, making the university a true whānau affair. Her love of philanthropy began early, collecting for charities alongside her grandmother as a child, and later serving as an area coordinator for the Heart Foundation bucket appeal as a teenager. That passion continues today, with Nora actively taking part in appeals and fundraising outside of work for causes close to her heart. Being part of the ARD team allows her to channel this lifelong dedication to giving back through meaningful alumni and donor engagement.
Outside of work, Nora is a devoted dog mum to two cheeky pups, Bob and Vegas. She enjoys exploring Tāmaki Makaurau’s walking tracks with them, visiting farmers markets on the weekend, and cooking homemade meals and treats to keep them happy and healthy.
FAQs
What should I do if I'm interested in setting up a scholarship? What current scholarships are most in need of support? Get answers to the questions we're most frequently asked by downloading the document below.
Impact
Receiving the award was a game-changer. Without it, I wouldn’t have been able to participate. And I wouldn't have had the honour of serving my peers in our cohort and the university. I gained confidence, made new friends from all walks of life, and felt a sense of belonging. The academic staff and student support team were incredible. Thank you to those who make it possible. Your support doesn’t just fund education, it helps change lives.
Receiving this award is not just a recognition of my own academic achievements but reinforces my commitment to making meaningful contributions to the medical field and community I serve.
I am deeply honoured and grateful to be selected as the recipient of this award. Receiving this prize has not only filled me with a sense of accomplishment but has also reaffirmed my passion to look after and care for our people. Thank you for your belief in my potential and for investing in my future.
This award means a lot to me. It is both very encouraging and deeply supportive. It is encouraging to know that what I am striving to achieve is recognised as a contribution to the standing of research in the Faculty of Engineering. I now feel more determined to follow my interests, conduct meaningful research, and help make the community a better place to live through my accomplishments. Your generosity allows me to focus my energy on pursuing valuable and impactful research.
Need
This area is kept up to date monthly, showing projects we are currently looking to have supported by donors.
These projects have strong need – please contact Lee on lee.martelli@auckland.ac.nz or call 021-515-373 if you would like to hear more about the opportunity to make a difference through supporting any of these needs.
Need areas as of October 2025:
1. New Start
He Pūaotanga | New Start is uniquely targeted to mature age (over-20-year-old) learners, having started 52 years ago as a Community Education offering. The course is offered across three campus – Te Tai Tokerau, Auckland City and Te Tai Tonga (South Auckland).
The programme enables those with life experiences to progress their learning, expand their career choices and engage in higher education. It has the potential to influence not just the enrolled students, but whānau and wider communities, as many students have children and are involved in workplaces and community groups across Auckland and Northland.
These mature learners bring substantive life experience which is highly valued within the degree programmes that they later continue to progress into – they often become the knowledgeable mentors and role models to younger students in their undergraduate programmes.
Most Graduates of this programme go on to be highly successful in future study and a number continue into postgraduate study and become lecturers for Waipapa Taumata Rau | The University of Auckland.
What is needed?
- 20 scholarships for New Start students to offset the paper fees
- New Start Student Support Fund – to be used to support students with transport, daycare and equipment.
2. Te Tai Tokerau Undergraduate Scholarships
The University of Auckland has a campus in Whangārei, our Te Tai Tokerau campus. This campus now hosts postgraduates only, so we’re looking to have 10 Undergraduate Scholarships for Northland students established so they can attend undergraduate studies in Auckland.
The Northland region has 20% lower participation in tertiary education than other regions around the country, as well as having a younger population. So these scholarships are a vital way to support participation increasing in this region. There are many Māori students involved in this region. Moving to Auckland to study can increase many costs for students.
3. Liggins Institute Scholarships
The Liggins Institute is a vital hub of research here at the university. There is a need to support 10 PhD student scholarships as well as 4 post-doctoral fellowships at the Liggins Institute at the moment, to ensure this groundbreaking research can continue and reach its potential
4. Arts and Education Scholarships
This faculty is in need of further Masters and PhD Scholarships to support the broad range of work across many areas of study from within this amazing faculty which contains performing and visual arts, English, Philosophy, teaching and criminology to name just a few areas. In a world more increasingly ruled by AI, supporting the humanities is becoming an extremely important focus.
Donate to any of our continuous funds at any time to help support special targeted areas to reach students in need: