The responsibility of giving back

University of Otago fifth-year law student Clementine Rose recently received a MAS Here for Good Scholarship, which rewards students who actively volunteer for the benefit of others. Clementine’s extensive work with groups from Youthline Otago and Women’s Refuge to Lawyers without Borders demonstrates her belief in using professional skills to make the world a better place.  

Growing up in Auckland, University of Otago law and commerce student Clementine Rose says her parents taught her early on that not everyone was dealt the same hand in life.  

“I’m not talking necessarily about financial security. It’s having a stable and supportive family unit that allows you to focus on your education, take music lessons or play sports. I grew up seeing my mum volunteer, so giving back to others has always been a natural part of my life.” 

For Clementine, her privilege was also a source of responsibility which led her to start volunteering. Clementine received a MAS’ Here for Good Scholarship for her involvement with Ignite Consultants, a not-for-profit organisation that recruits students to consult for charities in the wider Dunedin community. The scholarship awarded her $1,000 to go toward her living and study costs. 

From volunteer to CEO

Just a few weeks into her first year at Otago, Clementine saw a poster for Ignite Consultants, an organisation that partners students with socially conscious organisations to help them with their business needs, from governance and finance right through to strategy and marketing.  

Clementine says she was attracted to volunteering with Ignite because it gave her the chance to apply the commerce and legal skills she was learning in a way that made an immediate and tangible difference in the community. After putting her hand up, Clementine was selected to join Ignite as its youngest-ever consultant.   

Clementine’s first project saw her working with Youthline Otago, where she developed a suite of recommendations that included growing the organisation’s funding capacity and building more targeted and effective marketing. 

“Not long afterwards I saw the results of my work on their website and on social media, all the recommendations in my report were right there in action.”   

By the end of her first semester , Clementine was appointed chief executive of Ignite. In this position, she championed key reforms that improved the way Ignite delivers value for its community clients. This included revamping the one-size-fits-all, eight-week project structure by offering 48-hour ‘combustion weekends’ to solve small-scale problems, as well as year-long projects to tackle bigger issues.  

Another way Clementine left her mark at Ignite was by raising the diversity of talent within its ranks. This meant recruiting a cohort of consultants that represented not only the university but also reflected the make-up of the wider community.  

“I wanted all cultures represented in the consultants we put through, and all degrees, from commerce to science to the arts. On top of that culture and thought diversity, I also wanted real age diversity. These are the elements an organisation needs to develop and deliver better recommendations and outcomes for clients.”  

Reaching far and wide  

Clementine applied her business skills to a number of other volunteer roles including providing free accounting services at the Dunedin Community Accounting Centre and co-leading a fundraising sale of designer clothes for Women's Refuge Appeals Week in 2020 and 2021. 

“The Women’s Refuge fundraising activity was a very different way of giving back compared to my consulting work at Ignite, but just as meaningful. There were a lot of hours and a lot of late nights involved, but you just don’t question it when you have a very tangible reason for putting in the work.”  

As she progressed her legal studies, Clementine became involved with the Society of Otago University Law Students (SOULS), setting up social events to raise funds for the Breast Cancer Foundation. She has recently taken on the role of President of SOULS, leading an executive of 12 law students and working to build sponsorship deals as well as relationships with law firms and the Otago law faculty. 

In addition, Clementine has volunteered in a governance capacity, interning on the Regent Theatre Trust Board in Dunedin, and via academic research. The latter involved work at the University of Western Australia with Clementine contributing to research which looked at the mental health impact of Covid-19 restrictions on faith communities who were unable to attend in-person congregations.   

Going Global

In 2022, Clementine completed a three-month volunteer internship at Lawyers without Borders in Washington DC. She had been introduced to the organisation two years earlier while participating in a United Nations North American tour and says she was drawn to the organisation for similar reasons as with Ignite Consultants. 

“I loved that they were using professional skills for good. It was academically stimulating, and resulted in tangible benefits, in this case for African countries.   

“It was also a reality check. Looking at the challenges facing some of these countries, from sexual violence to health crises, it puts New Zealand’s issues into perspective when you work with these issues and see that contrast.”  

Looking beyond graduation, Clementine has wasted no time and has already signed on for a business consulting role in Sydney. Given her past track record, it seems highly unlikely that her appetite for volunteering will diminish anytime soon. 

“Short term, I’ve heard of opportunities in Sydney where I can mentor groups doing volunteer work, or potentially join the board of volunteer charities. Longer term, I’m looking at a permanent community-focused role so that it becomes more day-to-day. That’s the trajectory I'd love to pursue.”   

Every quarter, MAS awards one individual and one group scholarship to students studying in Aotearoa New Zealand who actively contribute to a group, association, community activity or volunteer programme for the benefit of others. Individual scholarship recipients receive $1,000 for study or living costs, and groups receive $4,000 to help toward operational costs. Applications for the next MAS Here for Good Scholarships open 17 July.