Environmental Planning prize to honour Luke O’Dwyer

A prize in Environmental Planning at the University of Waikato has been established to honour the memory of alumnus Luke O’Dwyer.

Luke was a highly respected Hamilton City Council planning manager who was also an honorary lecturer at the University. He died in mid-2021 aged 45, from an unexpected medical event, leaving behind wife Kylie, also a University of Waikato graduate, and two young children.

Many friends, family, colleagues and business associates have contributed to a memorial fund and this will support the Luke O’Dwyer Environmental Planning Prize each year for at least 10 years.

The $1000 prize will go to a student with good grades across all compulsory Environmental Planning coded papers studied in the student’s papers up to and including the third year of the Bachelor of Environmental Planning degree; and has exhibited attributes in class settings and group work that are similar to those displayed by Luke O’Dwyer such as excellent communication skills, strong contribution to class, collaboration with colleagues and being solution-focused.

The prize will be awarded towards the end of each year and will be decided by the School of Social Sciences.

Contributions can continue to be made to the Luke O’Dwyer Fund by clicking the button below.