Yamada O'Regan Secondary School Scholarships

The Yamada O'Regan Secondary School Scholarships aim to advance Ngāi Tahu secondary school students to complete the school year and successfully attain a secondary school qualification. Named after Masashi Yamada and Tā Tipene O'Regan, these scholarships represent cross-cultural friendship and profound generosity. In the 1990s, Masashi Yamada, a Japanese businessman and philanthropist, extended a multimillion-dollar loan to Ngāi Tahu that enabled the iwi to continue with Te Kerēme (the settlement claim). Post-settlement, Yamada gifted a substantial fund to establish the Ngāi Tahu Mātauranga Trust in 2001, which provides and promotes educational opportunities for the benefit of Ngāi Tahu whānui. The scholarship funding amount varies depending on the number of applications received, and applicants are encouraged to provide a comprehensive budget covering how they intend to use the scholarship funding.