Skip directly to main content.

Press Releases

Top officials receive Prime Minister's scholarships

20 Dec 2005

Sport and Recreation Minister Trevor Mallard today announced the recipients of the new Prime Minister's Officials Scholarship programme, which assists elite sports officials.
The scholarship programme is a government initiative established earlier this year that aims to support elite officials gain or maintain international accreditation in their sport. The first round of scholarships has been awarded to sixty-one high performance sports officials from 29 sporting codes.

"Whether it’s grass-roots or world-class competition, officials are a critical part of New Zealand sport and these scholarships are one way the government can help them develop further," said Trevor Mallard.

"The scholarships create a wonderful opportunity for up and coming officials to reach the top of their sport, and it will ensure that New Zealand continues to lead the way in producing world-class referees and umpires.

"We are committed to getting world-class results and this is achieved not only by supporting the athlete, but also supporting the people behind sport who help make it happen."

Today's scholarship recipients include top judo referee Craig Monaghan. Craig holds an International Judo Federation (IJF) International Referees Licence - the highest level in world judo - and is consistently ranked in the top ten referees worldwide. He hopes to use his scholarship to maintain his international ranking and improve his refereeing ability.

Also on the list is world-class gymnastics official Avril Enslow. Avril holds an International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) Category 1 Brevet, which also places her in the top of the judging categories for her sport. She will use her scholarship to attend the intercontinental judging course to help maintain her international ranking.

Trevor Mallard said the government has committed $332,513 to the Prime Minister's Officials Scholarships programme this year.

Scholarships are available to officials who are accredited at the international level and developing international officials. The scholarships are administered by SPARC (Sport and Recreation New Zealand).

Updated | 30 Mar 2006.

Skip page tools.

Note: You are reading this message either because you can not see our css files, or because you do not have a standards-compliant browser. Although the content of this site will be accessible in any browser, please consider upgrading to a web-standards compliant browser such as Mozilla to fully experience the design of this site.

Back to top.