PAC Grants Supporting Christian Media Scholarships

The PAC Media and Communications Endowment Fund was established to promote and facilitate communications and the flow of information both within the life of MCNZ and between the church and the community.

Over two decades the P.A.C fund has distributed almost $40,000 towards scholarships for tertiary students involved in a parish and who are studying media and communications and/or journalism at a New Zealand university or broadcasting school. For the past 15 years, the CBA has used PAC funding to supplement scholarships for students of faith pursuing a career in media.

The CBA Media Scholarship programme supports young people passionate about media and broadcasting, helping them develop their skills and giving them a boost as they strive to enter one of New Zealand’s most demanding, yet rewarding, industries.

Each year, three annual scholarships are awarded:

• the Journalism/Communications Scholarship, valued at $4000

• the Radio/Audio/Podcasting Scholarship, worth $4000

• the new Pathway Scholarship, which is $4000 per year for three years, and is targeted at those who would otherwise be unable to pursue education in media due to financial hardship.

CBA’s heartfelt hope is that in the years to come, these scholarships will enable recipients to go on to shape the conversations and stories told in New Zealand’s mainstream media.

Many previous winners of the CBA Media Scholarship have achieved that goal. Previous  recipients include an impressive who’s-who of the industry, with many in New Zealand media’s most sought-after roles.

These include Ed Swift, Assistant Head of Talk at Newstalk ZB; Joy Reid, former 1NEWS Europe Correspondent; Sean Hill, host and DJ on The Edge afternoons; former Fair Go reporter Kaitlin Aldridge; and Aaron Dahmen, a former senior political reporter for both Stuff and Newstalk ZB who has gone on to become a news anchor in Poland.

Additional CBA Scholarship winners – Logan Church and Mei Heron – currently occupy two of the top positions at 1News, as the news outlet’s United States and Europe Correspondents respectively.

Nathaniel Kandregula, who heads CBA’s Salt network for Christians working in media, says it’s a privilege to have enabled Christians with significant potential to fulfil their dreams of working in the industry.

“It’s clear that the CBA Media Scholarships have been a massive blessing to all those who have received them,” he said.

“Not only do winners get money towards their study, which eases the financial burden and stress on them as they’re starting on the journey to a career in media, but they receive the backing of CBA and access to two years of ongoing mentoring with our Media Chaplaincy NZ service, supporting their professional growth and development.”

Applicants for the Media Scholarship Programme are assessed based on their media goals and experience, their leadership qualities, and the influence of the Christian faith on their lives

The first iteration of the programme was initiated in 2005, when under the banner of the now-defunct Christian Broadcasting Commission (not related to CBA), applicants competed for three annual scholarships worth $2500.

In 2009, having been a sponsor of one of the three scholarships, CBA took over the entire scholarship programme, and eventually increasing the financial award to $4000.

This year, CBA has introduced the Pathway Scholarship, which is worth $12,000, over three years. The new scholarship is designed to support a promising young Christian who wants to study in media or broadcasting, but finds the cost too prohibitive.

Nathaniel Kandregula says for the inaugural recipient of this scholarship, it will be life-changing.

“Over the years, we’ve heard so many stories of Christians who would have loved to have pursued a media career, but finances were simply too tight to give it a proper go,” he said.

“The Pathway Scholarship is our attempt to remove money as a barrier to the industry, enabling more Christian leaders to access media and bring their unique perspectives to the conversations that happen there.”

For Sam Donkin, a CBA Media Scholarship recipient in 2021 who went on to be a producer at NZME radio stations ZM, The Kick and Radio Hauraki, the award was the difference between a job in media or another industry.

“The cash allowed me to move from Christchurch to Auckland. If I hadn’t, things would’ve been a whole lot harder – Auckland is where all the jobs are, where my internship was and where the industry is based out of,” he said.

“Plus, beyond the financial component, when I got the scholarship, I went into my internship knowing that there were people who just understood what the dynamic is like as a Christian in a media space. It was so helpful knowing you weren't the only one trying to forge that path.”

Laura James, a winner from 2014 who went on to be a reporter for 1News, said it was encouraging to know she had the support of CBA behind her as she embarked on her journalism career.

“The scholarship has been awesome – not just the money to go towards your studies, but also the things you get out of it like the networking and connections.”

Applications for the 2024 CBA Media Scholarship Programme are now open. If you would like to know more about CBA, visit the website here. If you would like to apply for a scholarship, you can access the application form here.