University of Waikato medal and scholarship recognise outstanding student achievements

Distinguished alumnus Dr Andrew Smith is funding an annual medal in excellence and a Distinguished Alumni scholarship. Photo / Supplied

One of the University of Waikato's most successful alumni is now proud to be giving back to his alma mater. Distinguished alumnus Dr Andrew Smith is funding an annual medal in excellence and kicking off a Distinguished Alumni scholarship, both to recognise outstanding student achievements.

From next year, the Dr Andrew Smith Medal for Academic Excellence will be awarded annually to the most academically outstanding student completing an undergraduate degree in any discipline at the university.

The University of Waikato Distinguished Alumni Scholarship will provide financial support to outstanding students in their final year of study in a conjoint degree, or degree with a double major, spanning management and the sciences. Students can apply for the scholarship from next year.

Andrew graduated with Bachelor and Master of Science degrees, majoring in physics, with first-class honours in 1989. That same year he became the university's first Rhodes Scholar, whereby he attended Oxford University to complete his doctorate.

He then spent 16 years working in consumer and grocery markets in the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, for companies such as Fonterra, Unilever, and Procter and Gamble. In February 2009, he was appointed CEO at Prolife Foods, known for brands such as Mother Earth, Alison's Pantry and Donovans Chocolates.

In 2019, he received a Distinguished Alumni Award from the university in recognition of his international business success.

He says he is proud to be supporting students at his old university. "The university, and the region, are where I'm closest to and have had a good portion of my career based at Prolife Foods. I grew up in Hamilton, attending Knighton Normal, Peachgrove Intermediate and Hillcrest High, and I thoroughly enjoyed being a student at Waikato."

As a student, Andrew did exceptionally well. He achieved straight A results across all his papers, many of them A++. He was also captain of Waikato's University Challenge team, leading them to the final against Auckland University.

"I believe supporting high-achieving students helps show them their value, and encourages them to continue to achieve, especially in those later years of university where you start to get exposure to complex ideas and that critical thinking that is so essential in the workplace."

Andrew says the decision to support students in double-degree or double-major programmes, through the Distinguished Alumni Scholarship, is to encourage students to combine fields of knowledge.

"I believe those who are most successful in their careers, in business or otherwise, have learnt how to approach and manage projects well, think critically, and work with other people.

"These are all skills you learn and develop later at university, particularly in those postgraduate years."