Nicole Tune is awarded a Recreation Aotearoa Scholarship

25 August 2021

The grant from Recreation Aotearoa offers eighteen months of early-career support for those interested in the recreation sector.

Landscape architect Nicole Tune, based in the Auckland office, is one of two scholarship recipients this year.

Nicole says, “I found out about the scholarship, and saw it as a great opportunity to grow into. The process was largely about answering the questions in the Recreation Aotearoa application form. There was apparently a significant number of candidates so they decided to select two individuals that they wanted to align their organisation with.”

The scholarship offers plenty of support, including covering Conference travel and accommodation costs; and the opportunity to be part of a mentoring programme supported by recreation industry leaders.

It’s not the first time Nicole has been recognised for her ability. As a student at Lincoln University, she won the 2019 Boffa Miskell scholarship for meritorious achievement in 3rd year landscape architecture.

Then, Nicole’s work was praised by Boffa Miskell’s design discipline leader, who noted: “… it clearly demonstrated an understanding of the context in which her projects sit… [she takes] a landscape approach rather than an engineering response; and I would encourage her to keep developing her design solutions beyond the obvious.”

Nicole says, “For the next 18 months I will be part of the Northern Region Committee and get the opportunity to attend some conferences and grow valuable networks within the recreation sector.

“Or as my family understands it, I have started my transition into becoming Leslie Knope from Parks and Recreation!”