A Wellington student has been given this year's Kate Sheppard Memorial Trust Award for her engaging academic work.

She is 27-year-old Amber Kale.

Today marks 123 years since women were given the right to vote.

As part of her Masters Degree, Miss Kale is researching a community based project where Wellington hosts create murals with refugees.

Trust Chair Judith Sutherland said the work will benefit all New Zealanders.

"For it to be a community based project like it is working with refuges, that actually engages a lot more people as well. It's not only just her academic work."

Sutherland said Kate Sheppard would be proud to lend her name to the study.

"Kate Sheppard was working for a gender equal society, and of course incorporating refugees into our society would certainly lend itself to the ideals that Kate Sheppard had."