Mike Pero Mortgages Announces Scholarship Winners

Nov 08

Three outstanding Year 13 high school students are the recipients of Mike Pero Mortgages’ Foundation tertiary education scholarships for 2009.

“We are delighted to announce the three winners who will receive scholarships, one of $5,000 and two of $2,500, which we are sure will give them a financial head start to their
university education,” says Shaun Riley, Chief Executive Officer of Mike Pero Mortgages.

Alicia Gleeson, who is in her final year of study at Opotiki College in the Bay of Plenty, was named the overall winner and has been awarded the $5,000 tertiary scholarship. She will
put this towards a Bachelor of Commerce at Otago University next year, where she intends to do a double major in Accounting and International Business Management.
Alicia says she received the news of her scholarship success just before her birthday. “It was the best birthday present ever. I was caught completely off-guard when I got the
news and I was buzzing for days afterwards. It means so much to me to win this scholarship as all the hard work I’ve put in to my education so far has finally paid off. It’s even more
special because I will be the first person in my family to go to university and just as importantly, it will take the financial pressure off my family.”

Kiri Diack from Aurora College in Invercargill was awarded a $2,500 scholarship, which she will put towards a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery at Otago University.
Kiri says she was surprised to hear she had been awarded a scholarship, especially as it was a national scholarship with a number of very deserving applicants.
“I was absolutely stoked. It was a real sense of achievement for me as I was the only student in the South Island to receive a national scholarship. It’s certainly put Invercargill on
the map! My mum and dad were so proud of me, they even made me ring my brother and sister in Australia to pass on the good news.”

Beaumyn Wihongi from Northland College in Kaikohe also received a $2,500 scholarship. He will put this towards a Bachelor of Maori and Pacific Development, majoring in Te Reo
Maori, at Waikato University. Beaumyn says without this scholarship he would’ve struggled to be able to attend university.
“I was very shocked to hear I’d been awarded a scholarship. Financially, I would have found it very difficult to go to university but this scholarship means I can now follow my dream. I
really want to be a secondary school teacher and now I can really concentrate on this.” Shaun Riley says the selection panel had a very difficult task to select three final candidates
from over 650 applications. He says the standard of applications was very impressive.

“The three recipients, Alicia, Kiri and Beaumyn, are very talented students and we believe they will do very well at university. They are all well-rounded individuals who are committed
to giving something back to the community,” he says. The Scholarship Programme is a nationwide initiative open to all New Zealand students,
aged between 17 and 25, embarking on their first year of tertiary study.

Shaun Riley says the Programme has proven to be very successful since it was introduced
three years ago. “We are thrilled with the response we’ve had from students around the country. Every year we get more people applying for the Scholarship Programme. It’s fair to say it’s going from
strength to strength and we are committed to continue providing options for students who show a real dedication to their studies and who may find the cost of quality education
prohibitive,” he says.

Note: High resolution images available on request

For more information contact:
Shaun Riley
Chief Executive Officer
Mike Pero Mortgages
(021) 287 8727

Angie Robinson
Mike Pero Mortgages
Marketing Assistant
(03) 365 3746