Dream comes true for generous donor

A dream that a generous donor had a decade ago has come to fruition.

KC Butt proudly watched the graduation ceremony for Faculty of Science student Xiaoqing Li, who he supported through establishing the Comvita Doctoral Scholarship in Environmental Sustainability, which was awarded in 2014.

The scholarship offers a postgraduate student from Tsinghua University in Beijing the chance to study their PhD in environmental sustainability and conservation at the University of Auckland.

KC, an employee at Comvita, is passionate about environmental protection and aspires to change business practices in China, where sustainability is an immense challenge.

The scholarship was first awarded in 2014 with the aim of Xiaoqing taking her knowledge back to China to show companies how to maintain economic growth, while conducting sustainable business practices.

KC says he was pleased to see Xiaoqing graduate and is confident her work in environmental science will make a positive impact.
“This is just the beginning. Environmental protection is now one of the biggest challenges for China and there is a long road ahead. Ten years ago I saw that there was an urgency for China and New Zealand to work closely together to combat the environmental protection issue. China was flying in terms of economic development, however, the environment paid the price. I love the New Zealand model, where businesses like Comvita are able to grow the business, while doing good for the environment.”

Xiaoqing says the scholarship enabled her an opportunity she wouldn’t have experienced without such generous support from KC.

“The Comvita scholarship opened a door for me to get to know the very different western world, it was a life-changing opportunity.

“I would like to thank KC for the generous donation and for his concern for environmental health and development. With this scholarship I had the opportunity to conduct research to understand the different ecosystems and contribute to mitigate climate change.”
KC envisions New Zealand and China working together in the future to protect the environment, generate jobs for young people and to create a more sustainable world.

“What I gave was a small amount, but it could be a spark to make other great things happen,” he says.