Kahungunu new home for scholarship winners

(L-R) EIT Tairawhiti Campus Director, Jan Mogford, congratulates Te Toka Scholarship recipients, Jarrod Rogers-Hughes and Tihei Turei, alongside TRONPnui Chief Financial Officer, Allan Jensen.

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EIT East Coast students Tihei Turei and Jarrod Rogers-Hughes are on their way to successful careers after winning the inaugural Te Toka Plumbing and Electrical Scholarships – an initiative sparked by the late Dr Apirana Mahuika.

The Te Runanganui o Ngati Porou and EIT Trades Training Scholarships, will cover their accommodation costs at the EIT Hawke’s Bay student village for the year, and the EIT Hawke’s Bay Maori and Pasifika Trade Training Scholarships will cover their programme fees. The total value of each scholarship is nearly $11,000. For Rangatukia 20-year-old Tihei, the opportunity to do his Plumbing and Gas Fitting Certificate is personally significant to him.

“It was one of Papa Api’s ideas and that makes it really special to me,” he says. “It feels great to be doing this because I know what it is like to have a student loan.” Turei schooled at Te Kura Kaupapa Maori Te Waiu o Ngati Porou, did a year at EIT Tairawhiti doing the weekly Trades Academy, and later completed a level 3 carpentry course in Wellington. His goal this time is simple – to get a good career under his belt.

And it is similar for 19-year-old Jarrod. The Ruatoria teen has completed the level 2 and 3 carpentry courses at the Coast campus, and also did the Trades Academy while at Ngata Memorial College. “This is a really good opportunity for me,” he says. Jarrod will study electrical trades at EIT Hawke’s Bay.

EIT Tairawhiti Campus Director Jan Mogford says the scholarships of- fer a significant opportunity for the two young men. They will study three days a week at the campus, with one or two days out in the community on work experience.

“That goes a long way towards turning their studies into an apprenticeship. There are no guarantees in life, but you have a lot of people working with you on this,” she told the rangatahi. “You will eventually be the tradesmen everyone will be proud of.”

TRONPnui Chief Financial officer Allan Jensen said the Te Toka initiative would encourage both training and later contribution to the local community in an area that had a shortage of tradesmen.