Tariana Turia is inviting New Zealanders wishing to conduct research overseas to apply for a fellowship from the New Zealand Winston Churchill Memorial Trust.

"Churchill Fellowships enable all kinds of New Zealanders to conduct intensive research overseas in a variety of fields and bring that international knowledge back home," Mrs Turia said.

"The new insights they return with will enrich their community and New Zealand as a whole."

Fellows are granted up to 80 per cent of their travel costs and can spend between three weeks to three months overseas. The average grant is from $5000 to $7000.

The 2009 Fellows are conducting research in the fields of health, ecology, literacy, social services, and New Zealand history and culture, including:

• Ms Jennifer Harding who will travel to the United Kingdom, Denmark, Sweden and Norway to research the models and development of workplace literacy providers.


• Dr Betsan Martin who will travel to Samoa, Fiji, New Caledonia, Hawaii, the Solomon Islands and Australia to research the maintenance of the health of water ecosystems using indigenous knowledge and ecosystem science in Pacific communities.


• Dr Patricia Te Arapo Wallace who will travel to the United States to examine pre-Treaty of Waitangi cloaks held in collections there.

Winston Churchill Memorial Trusts also operate in the United Kingdom and Australia.

Applications close on 31 July 2009.  Successful applications will be announced in December.

To obtain an application form, or to learn more about the Trust, visit the Department of Internal Affairs' website: www.dia.govt.nz or phone 0800 824 824.