Previously Unavailable joins Special in offering Scholarship Package to Support Maori and Pacific Students in the creative industry

Previously Unavailable has announced its investment in a scholarship package specifically designed to support Māori and Pacific students at Auckland University of Technology (AUT), providing a pathway to success in the fields of design, branding, innovation and creativity.

Previously Unavailable was inspired by the example and action of Special, who introduced a scholarship earlier this year for Māori students. Previously Unavailable contacted Special and asked if the studio could support their effort by adding another scholarship. They loved the idea, and together Special and Previously wish to encourage more agencies to join them to increase pathways into an industry that has a diversity and inclusion problem.

Each year, Previously Unavailable will award one scholarship. This scholarship covers tuition and compulsory student fees for a Māori or Pacific student in Years 2 and 3 of a bachelor’s degree program at AUT, focusing on design or innovation. It’s also open to part-time students, acknowledging the challenges of some students juggling multiple work, family or community commitments outside of their studies. The successful scholar will receive mentoring, with the potential to gain practical experience by working part-time with Previously Unavailable during semester breaks.

This initiative was led by creative strategist Phoebe Smith (above right) and Previously partner and head of design, Phoebe Devine (above left) (Te Whānau-ā-Apanui). Both leaders balance working in the industry with work and connections to academia. Devine was a part-time lecturer at AUT for six years and Smith is currently a part-time lecturer for AUT’s Communication Design Degree.

Says Smith: “As a Pacific woman, I’ve always been so grateful for the support and opportunities I’ve had to progress my career. It can be difficult for young Māori and Pacific students to navigate their way into industry or even know what amazing creative careers are out there. We hope efforts like this can help remove some of those barriers. We believe the entrepreneurs, researchers, strategists and designers of tomorrow will thrive best as a more inclusive community and industry, and we know we have a key role to play in creating those pathways and opportunities in order to make that a reality.”

Previously Unavailable hopes its scholarship program will inspire other industry players to join them in this effort towards a more diverse and inclusive creative industry.

Says Devine: “Scholarships have the ability to give someone permission to lean into and explore what they want to do with their lives. The hope is that this opportunity can inspire Māori and Pacific students to truly live out their potential — to have the means to use university to experiment wider and discover deeper. It’s important to me that industry has a strong connection to academia — I want to work with and hire inquisitive humans from all walks of life, so it only makes sense that we help shape and empower who makes up the next generation.”

The scholarship application process will be open to eligible Māori and Pacific students at Auckland University of Technology. Additional details, including eligibility criteria and application deadlines, can be found on the AUT website or by contacting the university’s scholarship office.