Kaye Avery Memorial Scholarship
"Every person has a contribution they were born to make.”
Kaye Avery
About this scholarship
Choosing what to do after school can feel overwhelming. With so many options, and pressure to make the “right” decision, it’s easy to feel unsure about the direction that fits you best.
The Kaye Avery Memorial Scholarship was created to help young people gain the insight and support they need to make confident decisions about their future.
Each year, CareerEQ awards scholarships to students and schools, continuing Kaye Avery’s belief that every young person deserves the opportunity to understand their strengths and discover the path where they can make their greatest contribution.
Students Scholarship
Support for students seeking clarity about their future
This scholarship supports students who would benefit from career guidance at an important decision point, particularly where financial barriers may make accessing this support difficult.
Students can apply for themselves, or someone else can nominate a student who would benefit from the opportunity.
You might be the right person for this scholarship if:
You feel unsure about what direction to take after school
You are trying to decide what to study or what career might suit you
You know you have potential but need help understanding your strengths
Accessing professional career guidance would otherwise be financially difficult
You don’t need to have your future figured out — that’s exactly why this scholarship exists.
What selected students receive
Each year, three students are awarded the scholarship, which includes:
Three one-on-one career coaching sessions
Coaching with an experienced CareerEQ practitioner
Access to CareerEQ’s career discovery tools to explore strengths, motivations, and career pathways
The programme helps students move from uncertainty to clarity, giving them confidence in the decisions they make about subjects, study, and future careers.
Career Discovery Tools
Scholarship recipients use CareerEQ’s evidence-based career exploration tools.
CareerPlanet
CareerPlanet is designed for students aged 15+ and helps them explore career possibilities by connecting their motivations, interests, and personal characteristics to potential pathways.
Rather than simply asking “What job do I want?”, it helps students think about what kind of contribution they want to make in the world.
CareerSmart
CareerSmart is designed for senior secondary and university students. It helps individuals reflect on their values, motivations, cultural influences, and personal strengths, bringing these insights together to help shape meaningful career direction.
These tools help students understand who they are, what motivates them, and where they are most likely to thrive.
Supporting schools to bring career insight to more students
Kaye Avery believed career guidance should start early, before students begin making important choices about subjects and pathways.
Each year, three schools receive a scholarship designed to strengthen career education within their school community.
What selected schools receive
CareerPlanet practitioner training for the school’s careers adviser
50 CareerPlanet assessments for students
Schools can be nominated by teachers, careers advisers, parents, or community members who believe the school would benefit from the programme.
Schools that are not selected are entered into a draw to receive one of 10 UN SDG Career Card Packs.
What Happens After You Apply
1. Submit your application
Tell us a little about yourself (or the student/school you are nominating) and why this opportunity would make a difference.
2. Applications are reviewed
The CareerEQ team reviews each application to understand who would benefit most from the scholarship.
3. Recipients are announced
Scholarship recipients will be notified by 31 March 2026.
The Legacy of Kaye Avery
The scholarship honours the legacy of CareerEQ founder Kaye Avery, who dedicated her career to helping people understand their strengths and make confident decisions about their future.
Kaye believed every individual has a unique contribution they are meant to make, and that career guidance should help people discover the path where their abilities, motivations, and opportunities come together.
The Kaye Avery Memorial Scholarship continues this vision by helping students and schools access the insights and guidance that support meaningful career journeys.
Schools Scholarship
Applications close
Saturday 21 March 2026
Recipients announced
Tuesday 31 March 2026
About CareerEQ's Assessments
Together, these tools support people at every stage of their career journey, and all three flow from the same belief: that career development is about identity, and that the real work is helping people find the alignment between who they are and how they contribute.
CareerPlanet
CareerPlanet is a career inquiry tool for students aged 15 and up. It contains the UN Sustainable Development Goals and is built around a shift in thinking that was central to Mum's philosophy: instead of asking "What do I want to be?", it asks "What do I want to be part of?" It maps motivations, interests and characteristics into a visual mind map of career preferences, helping young people connect their career choices to something bigger than themselves.
CareerIntelligence
CareerSmart is for students from Year 12 through university. It integrates values, culture, whānau background and career motivators into a holistic self-evaluation, helping students imagine a world they would want to work in.
CareerSmart
CareerIntelligence is for working adults. It supports career transitions and alignment by helping people connect with their motivations, assess their skills and interests, and find clarity on purpose, direction and development.
Kaye's values
Kaye embedded these values into CareerEQ. They are in Te Reo Māori because that reflects how she understood the work, as a relationship with people, with community, and with the world.
Whakawhanaungatanga
Building relationships founded on mutual respect, understanding, and trust is at the heart of what we do.
Ako
We are committed to lifelong learning and professional growth.
Manaakitanga
We care deeply for the individuals and organisations we work with.
Whakahoahoae
We strive to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi and engage as equal partners.
Hanga rerekētanga
We are driven to make a positive difference in the lives of people and the world we share.