Young Eagles Scholarships 2025

Aspeq is proud to support the next generation of aviators through our sponsorship of the Ross Macpherson Memorial Scholarship. The 2025 Flying New Zealand Young Eagles Scholarships have now been awarded, following a highly competitive selection process that saw 45 applications for just seven available scholarships.

Josh Back, Scholarship Coordinator at Flying New Zealand | Young Eagles of NZ, shared about this year’s applicants: “It was a competitive year, with our judges all noting the strong calibre of applicants. It’s encouraging to see so many passionate young individuals pursuing a future in aviation.”

2025 Ross Macpherson Scholarship Recipients

1st Place: Lincoln Butcher – South Canterbury Aero Club
2nd Place: Cayleigh Hume – Kapiti Aero Club
3rd Place: Edward Pitches – Auckland Aero Club
4th Place: Lilly Black – Nelson Aero Club
5th Place: Jack Crozier – Tauranga Aero Club

The scholarships were presented at the Flying New Zealand National Awards Dinner on Saturday, 1 March at the Toi Toi Art Centre in Hastings.

Aspeq’s Deputy Aviation Manager, Paul Kearney, attended the awards dinner, representing our commitment to fostering young talent in aviation. Reflecting on the evening, Paul shared: “It was a wonderful evening and so encouraging to meet such enthusiastic, highly motivated up-and-coming pilots.”

About the Ross Macpherson Memorial Scholarship

This scholarship honours Ross Macpherson, former editor of the New Zealand Wings Magazine, who was deeply passionate about all aspects of aviation. Before his passing in 1996, Ross provided a substantial grant to Flying New Zealand to be used for flying scholarships, ensuring young aviators could pursue their dreams.

In 2024, the scholarship is proudly funded by Aspeq, Gallagher Insurance, Airways NZ, and the Civil Aviation Authority, reinforcing industry-wide support for the future of aviation.

Aspeq congratulates all the 2025 scholarship recipients and looks forward to seeing them take to the skies. Our continued support for this initiative reflects our commitment to inspiring and developing the next generation of aviation professionals.