Arboretum scholarship to assist horticulture studies
Seeds of success have been sown for Gisborne student Mark Geuze with a tertiary Eastwoodhill Arboretum Scholarship to help cultivate a chosen career path in horticulture.
After his time as dux at Lytton High School in 2006, Mark embarked on horticulture studies.
The 18-year-old is about to start his second year of a bachelor of science degree majoring in horticulture at Massey University, Palmerston North.
Mark has been passionate about it for some time.
His interest stems from working on his parents’ Matawhero orchard while attending school in Gisborne.
Mark still spends much of his down time at the orchard, and the scholarship will go some way to help him get into his goal of organic horticulture.
“I have received scholarships before but this one will be really handy towards my student loan,” he said.
“Three thousand dollars is a lot of orchard work,” he said.
The study scholarship is worth $3000, and is funded through the J. N. Williams Memorial Trust.
It has been running for eight years and has been highly successful, with some recipients continuing to assist at the arboretum.
“We have had a range of recipients bringing really useful skills back to the region,” said Eastwoodhill Arboretum chairwoman Lee Newman.
Scholarship recipients must come from the East Coast, Gisborne or Wairoa areas “so it helps someone in the district”.
There were three applicants this year. Mark’s initial success at university helped his selection as this year’s recipient.
“We felt that Mark was worthy — his results so far have been very encouraging,” she said.
“He looked like someone with an exciting future.”
Mark wants to be a manager or consultant in horticulture, and follow the area of organics.
“Because I think that is the way of the future, people are getting more health-conscious and they don’t want to eat things that have been sprayed with lots of chemicals,” he said.
Mark starts study again on February 25.
Until then, work on the orchard is keeping him well occupied.
