PM Scholarship for Anna Higgins

Anna Higgins’ decision to continue her studies at Otago Polytechnic just got a big boost.

Having completed a Graduate Diploma in Applied Science (Performance Analysis), Anna has further cause for celebration – she has been awarded a Prime Minister’s Sport Scholarship to help her study towards a Masters in Applied Science.

Sport and Recreation Minister Grant Robertson announced the first round of 2018 Prime Minister’s Sport Scholarship recipients at an awards ceremony in Cambridge late last week.

The announcement comes on the back of Anna taking up a paid internship with Cycling NZ at the beginning of the year.

She has already been involved in the track cycling World Championships in the Netherlands in March and Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in April, travelling with the team, developing her cycling knowledge and the skills needed for the role.

Anna, who will focus on cycling performance analysis for her Masters, is no stranger to what’s required to succeed on the world stage. 

She has represented New Zealand in canoe slalom, competed at World Cup events and was the national under-23 champion as well as being the 2^nd-ranked senior (behind

2016 Rio Olympian Luuka Jones).

As part of a placement organised by Otago Polytechnic, Anna has been involved in performance analysis for the Southern Steel netball franchise since 2015. Last year the Steel enjoyed an unbeaten run on its path to winning the title.

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