Each year, the association gives scholarships of $5000 per year for undergraduates and $10,000 per year for post-graduate students.
All the tertiary students must study a subject relevant to the red meat-processing industry and be planning a career in the sector beyond the farm gate.
Miss Te Raki, 17, said she would use the scholarship to help fund her study towards a commerce degree, majoring in marketing, at the University of Otago.
Her connections to the red meat industry include her grandparents owning a sheep farm in Clinton and her father works as a site manager for Anzco Foods in Green Island.
She has worked at the Anzco site packaging meat patties. She said a future aspiration was to use her marketing degree to promote red meat to export markets.
"To work abroad, that’s a future dream," she said.
Zoe McElrea, of Milton, who is completing law and arts degrees at the University of Otago, majoring in politics and French with emphasis on international and trade politics, also received a scholarship.
MIA chief executive Sirma Karapeeva said all the scholars were highly motivated and focused on subjects which would be of great value in future careers in the sector.
"This scholarship programme provides an important pathway for school leavers, undergraduate and graduate students into the meat processing industry, which is so important to the New Zealand economy.
"In order to grow the sector, we need to continue to recruit ambitious and highly skilled people. All of our MIA scholars have the potential to become future leaders in the industry."
As well as financial support, scholars benefit from the organisation’s mentoring programme and participation in a range of industry events and networking opportunities.
Assistance might also be provided to help them to secure vacation or part-time work in the meat-processing industry, she said.
