Breadcrumbs

Sir Edmund Hillary Medal awardees announced

9 January 2018

Cellist Matthias Balzat and sportswoman Stacey Waaka.
Cellist Matthias Balzat and sportswoman Stacey Waaka.

Top cellist Matthias Balzat and sporting all-rounder Stacey Waaka have each been given one of Waikato University’s most prestigious awards – the Sir Edmund Hillary Medal.

The award is bestowed every year to two top graduating students on the Sir Edmund Hillary Scholarship programme – one for sport and one for creative and performing arts.  Winning a Medal is a significant achievement, as awardees have to reach the highest level academically and in their chosen sport or performing art, while also demonstrating exceptional leadership.

Matthias Balzat has been playing the cello since he was three years old. Now 18 he has won a range of prestigious contests, including the American Protege Competition, the National Concerto Competition, and PACANZ (Performing Arts Competition Association of New Zealand).

Stacey Waaka has competed at high levels in touch rugby, rugby, sevens, netball and hockey. Originally from Ruatoki, Stacey attended Whakatane High School where she was captain of the school’s rugby, touch and netball teams. As a rugby player, Stacey thrives on competition and utilises her training sessions to build on her speed and power on the field. She was also the Black Fern’s youngest player in the team that beat England in the final of the Women’s Rugby World Cup last year.


Latest stories

Related stories

New-Climate-Change-Scholarship

Scholarship for Climate Change

A Mount Maunganui student and keen surfer is the inaugural recipient of the Toi Moana…

Scholarship recipient honours cherished former staff member

Third year Bachelor of Business and Bachelor of Science student, Petra Guy, is the inaugural…

Neil Quigley and Kelvyn Eglinton

University of Waikato Medical School funding backed by Momentum Waikato

Funding for a Graduate School of Medicine at the University of Waikato will be supported…

Scholarship supports two worthy women in technology

The inaugural Endace Women in Technology Scholarship has been awarded to two University of Waikato…

Inaugural scholarship recipient committed to furthering women in business

A new scholarship supporting more women to study business at the University of Waikato has…

Three generations of Dr Ritchies

Pioneering Psychology Professor leaves peaceful parenting legacy

The University of Waikato sadly acknowledges the passing of Emeritus Professor Jane Ritchie OBE, at…

Nathan Bailey, inaugural recipient of the Tauranga Moana Futures Scholarship

Scholarship enables inaugural recipient to contribute to the redevelopment of Tauranga City

University of Waikato first-year Bachelor of Engineering student Nathan Bailey is the inaugural recipient of…

Ally Wollaston with a gold medal at the UCI Nations Cup track competition in Jakarta.

Three golds for cyclist Ally Wollaston

University of Waikato law student and Hillary Scholar Ally Wollaston has returned to New Zealand…

Award-winning soprano and Waikato alumna is branching out into the world

With one of her recent achievements on home soil having been the runner up at…

madeleine-pierard

Philanthropically-funded role enables Music to grow

Thanks to a philanthropically-funded position, internaitonal opera singer Madeleine Pierard has been able to set…

Scholarship recipient

Ashleigh Ngow receives Dr Andrew Smith Medal for Academic Excellence

Protecting the environment has always been important to Maketū-raised Ashleigh Ngow who completed the Bachelor…

Huy Vu

Scholarship established to remember alumnus and colleague Huy Vu

A scholarship has been established at the University of Waikato to remember alumnus and highly…