Celebrating AUT student excellence
AUT Bachelor of Business and Bachelor of Health Science student Prudence Fowler has won Sport Scholar of the Year for excellence in sport and academia at the prestigious AUT Blue Awards.
The AUT Blue Awards recognise high-performance athletes and artists who are also achieving their academic goals as students of AUT.
Prudence is an elite cyclist whose talent and determination have earned her top honours on the international stage.
She recently secured 1st place in the Team Pursuit at the Oceania Championships, showcasing her strength and strategic prowess on the track.
“Being named Sports Scholar of the Year was a real honour.”
“I’ve been a student at AUT since 2021, and over those years I’ve grown immensely both as an athlete and as a student,” says Prudence.
“I feel so privileged to be able to study alongside my sport endeavours, and to receive this award a few days before heading to my first Elite World Championships, felt like the perfect culmination of my journey at AUT and made the moment really special.”
AUT student and poet Ivy Lyden-Hancy (Te Rarawa/Ngāpuhi/Ngaati Wairere/Waikato Tainui) took home the Māori Arts, Culture and Design Award of the Year.
Her work has received multiple awards and national recognition, including selection for this year’s YWCA’s Y25 List which celebrates some of the country’s most inspirational young people.
Deeply committed to the rights and wellbeing of Māori and Pasifika communities, Ivy uses both her mahi and her spoken word poetry to uplift and empower others.
“This Blue Award is a dedication to the creatives and our Toi Māori and Pasifika in the world,” says Ivy.
“It’s been such a privilege to not lose my art to my academics rather they have thrived together.”
The Blue Awards are part of a tradition dating back to 1922 in New Zealand and earlier in England, recognising excellence in sport.
They have since expanded to include students from all art, design and culture disciplines.
Some high-profile athletes who have received a Blue Award in the past include Gemma Flynn (hockey), Jerome Kaino (rugby) and Jarred Kenn (basketball).
This year, the Awards included a formal welcome from Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research Mark Orams who spoke of how proud AUT was to support students in pursuit of excellence.
“These Awards represent those extraordinary individuals who have a passion and drive for excellence in their studies and chosen sport or artistic endeavours.”
“AUT is proud to stand alongside you as you receive all the accolades you deserve for your hard work and the sacrifices you’ve made,” says Professor Orams.
Special guest and AUT alumnus, Cameron Webster, now a lawyer and a former elite athlete in both rowing and sailing, reflected on how identity, purpose, and growth evolve through sport and beyond.
As a junior rower, Cameron became a Junior World Champion in 2012 and an Under-23 World Champion in 2016, achievements that placed him amongst the best in the world.
From there, he had a rocky journey representing New Zealand at the elite level from 2017 to 2022 trialling for both the Rio and Tokyo Olympics. These years being defined by early mornings, huge disappointments, brutal training, and the kind of commitment only those who’ve lived it can understand.
Alongside that, in 2013 Cameron began a law degree at AUT, a journey that would take ten years to complete. There were long stretches when progress felt invisible, when study and sport seemed worlds apart, but those moments taught him that resilience isn’t about perfection, it’s about persistence.
After retiring from rowing, and still eight papers short of finishing, Cameron returned to full-time study, until another opportunity arose. He was invited to trial with Emirates Team New Zealand and ultimately joined their power group as a cyclor for the 37th America’s Cup campaign.
During that campaign, while training for the Cup, he made one final push to complete his law degree, graduating in 2023, and helping defend the America’s Cup just two years after joining the team.
His journey reminded attendees that true resilience is forged not in moments of victory, but in the years in between.
Congratulations to all the 2025 AUT Blue Awards winners.