Hannah Airey (26) has been awarded the Valachi Downs Young Achiever Award, administered by the New Zealand Equine Research Foundation (NZERF).
The annual scholarship, worth $15,000 is awarded to an individual under the age of 35 years to assist with their career in the equine industry.
Airey is currently balancing working at Trelawney Stud with her studies as she completes a Bachelors degree in Agricultural Science at Massey University.
Also the recipient of the 2022 Sunline Education Trust Scholarship, Airey has been working closely with Professor Chris Rogers as part of the research team looking at nutrient management in regard to horse density per hectare, how this changes depending on the season and its effect on nitrogen excretion, and grazing rotation and stock management.
Airey was thrilled to be awarded the NZERF scholarship and said it would help support her study over the next few years.
“This will cover year two and three of course fees at university which is a huge relief,” she said. “University is a big stepping stone in what I want to achieve in my career so this is a massive help.
“It was a fairly in-depth application process. I had to send in my cv and information about how I would use the scholarship and what I wanted to achieve, I then had an interview.
“For me it feels like I have the industry support to do this sort of work which I think will benefit everyone and help future proof the industry.”