A significant new scholarship funded by urban planning and resilience advisory firm Meridian Urban will support Indigenous students to study Planning at The University of Queensland.
The Meridian Urban Regional and Town Planning Scholarship for Indigenous Students is the first of its kind for the School of Architecture, Design and Planning. Valued at $10,000 per year for four years, the scholarship is open to future and current UQ students at undergraduate level. Applications are now open.
Meridian Urban co-founders Stephen Dredge and Heidi Dredge, both UQ Alumni, say the idea for the scholarship came about after they received the news of the “no” result in the 2023 Voice to Parliament referendum.
“We founded Meridian Urban seven years ago, and a core element of our work has been advocating and supporting planning in Indigenous communities, and amplifying Indigenous voices,” says Stephen.
“When the ‘no’ result was announced in the Voice referendum we were heartbroken. After trying to explain the outcome to our children, we asked ourselves, ‘How can we make a meaningful impact?’”
They came up with the idea of supporting an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander student in a Planning degree.
“Our hope is that through this scholarship the individual gains professional qualifications, and then they use those qualifications, along with everything that comes with their identity as an Indigenous person, to contribute in a positive way to the industry in Queensland or elsewhere,” says Heidi.
“Values are really important to us … we talk about them in our business frequently, and we anchor a lot of our business decisions to our corporate values. In addition to the work we do each day in practice, the scholarship is a way of putting our values into action.”
Professor Ali Cheshmehzangi, Head of the School of Architecture, Design and Planning, says the School is delighted to partner with Meridian Urban to support Indigenous students in this way.
“The scholarship will help Indigenous students who might be experiencing financial barriers to access high-quality education in our School,” says Professor Cheshmehzangi.
“Regional and town planning is a growing sector, facing new challenges every day. We need inquisitive minds to pursue studies in this area so we can create sustainable solutions to complex urban problems. I look forward to meeting the first student to study under the scholarship in 2025.”
Meridian Urban was founded on the premise of practising better urban planning and creating more resilient communities, particularly in rural and regional Australia. The company’s work is diverse, and spans from housing solutions in Indigenous communities, to drought resilience work in New South Wales, and natural hazard risk management on Kangaroo Island in South Australia, for example. The company has a solid focus on delivering meaningful outcomes for Indigenous communities.

Stephen says there is a strong need for town planning to be a more diverse profession, and the hope is that the scholarship will help to support that.
“We need a diversity of voices to make sustainable and prosperous communities. The more diversity we have, the more people who are actively empowered to catalyse and create impact and change for the better,” he says.
“With this scholarship we're seeking to elevate Indigenous voices, knowledge and practice into a critical area of professional practice – the building of communities that are prosperous, equitable and just for everyone.”
Stephanie Wyeth, the School’s Professional Planner in Residence and Senior Lecturer in the Planning Program, agrees. She says planning is a purpose-led profession, and that increasing the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander practitioners within the profession is critical if we are to ensure First Nation's values, voices and practices are embedded in how our cities and regions are planned, designed and managed.
“I applauded Stephen and Heidi’s personal leadership in making this long-term commitment. It is wonderful to see,” Ms Wyeth says.
Heidi and Stephen have challenged other built environment firms and industry representatives to consider funding similar causes in their field, in a way that is meaningful for them. Stephen says they are strong proponents of the idea of “daring to dream,” and being aware that an individual can make an impact – however small that might be.
“We need more people who want to make a positive change in the world, and anything we can do to support those individuals and to help them drive the change they want to see in the world is really important to us.”
Visit the UQ Scholarships page for more details.