Property scholarships up for grabs for Kiwi high school students
- Keystone Trust opens its scholarship applications for 2015 -
With university entrance on the minds of many high school students at the moment, leading New Zealand property trust Keystone New Zealand Property Education Trust has opened its doors for suitable candidates for its 2015 property scholarships, which are due to close on 20th August.
Keystone New Zealand Property Education Trust - more commonly known as Keystone Trust - gives students a hand up into
property-related tertiary studies in fields such as property, architecture, property law, engineering and construction.
Now in its 20th year, Keystone Trust offers five Study Awards and four Key Sponsor Scholarships each year, providing an
open door for young people to achieve careers in property when they otherwise may have seemed a bridge too far.
Applications are open now for Year 13 students who meet the Trust’s criteria and intend to enrol at a tertiary
institution in New Zealand to study a property-related degree. Interested students should visit www.keystonetrust.org.nz for more information on the application process.
As a number of prominent industry brands are among forefront Keystone Trust sponsors, there are also opportunities for
students who have already completed some years at university to take up a Key Sponsor Scholarship.
Victoria McArthur, Keystone’s General Manager, says: “At Keystone we believe that if exceptional young people have a
dream to become part of the property and construction industry, it is our job to help them get there, irrespective of
their background.”
“Keystone scholarship recipients benefit from financial support. However, more importantly, our programmes include a
high degree of mentoring and networking opportunities to be embraced by the industry. This is what sets us apart, as we
walk alongside our students on their tertiary journey.”
This is echoed by Greg Pritchard, General Manager of Fletcher Construction and a Keystone Trustee, who says: “The
emphasis is on a Capital ‘S’ for ‘support’ and a small ‘m’ for ‘money’.”
“I didn’t want to be dependent on my parents to support me,” says recipient Carinnya Feaunati, who is from New Plymouth and now in her final year of Architecture at Victoria University. “Without it, it would have
been a big struggle for finances and my parents would have had to support me much more. If I think about the bigger
picture, I may not even have been able to move to Wellington.
“Although I initially liked the Keystone focus on financial support, the opportunities to engage with people in the
industry have been invaluable. Keystone gave me the opportunity to meet real professionals in the industry and to get to
know them, and even get some internships. This would have been impossible without the help of the Trust.”
Keystone alumni are taking up increasingly high-profile positions within major organisations across the industry. In
turn, sponsors are recognising the opportunities that the Trust provides to give back, pass on knowledge and mentor
students, as well as to attract their future stars.
“I’ve had a lot of good things happen to me - and are still happening - due to Keystone,” says Carinnya. “It was the
initial foot in the door that has gone far beyond. The financial assistance is great but the biggest thing is the step
in the door to meet industry professionals - which sets it apart from so many other scholarships. It’s incredible.”
ENDS