Sixteen Year 13 students are the lucky recipients of scholarships from the Hutt Mana Charitable Trust.

Chair of the Trust, Nick Leggett, says the small scholarships are a way of supporting talented young people starting out on the next phase of their lives.

“It’s not easy embarking on the next stage of training and education which is why we offer scholarships for students in Porirua, the Hutt Valley, and the Johnsonville, Newlands and Tawa areas.”

This year a total of $25,000 has been granted to the students to help towards course, training or employment related expenses.”

“We use deliberately broad criteria so that the scholarships can be awarded for future tertiary level study, trade training or employment opportunities in energy related disciplines or industries. It’s also broad so we can support students who wouldn’t get any other scholarship or financial help.”

This year’s scholarship students are embarking on futures in engineering, urban planning, law, science, environmental planning and more.

Onslow College recipient Lewis Johnson is off to Victoria University to do a double major in Psychology and Te Reo Māori.

“I’m interested in conserving our taiao (natural world) and taking care of our forests having helped out with the GIS tracking of plants and tree growth in Newlands with Ngā Hau E Whā O Pāpārarangi,” says Lewis.

He is also interested in waste minimisation and helped implement a stronger system at Onslow College.

“My goal is to combine my interests in teaching and the environment to support and guide students in their important rangatahi years to build a base for their lives which is both sustainable for them and the rest of the world.”

Lewis will use his scholarship for a new laptop to help with his studies.

The full list of scholarships recipients for 2019 can be viewed at www.hmct.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/2020-Scholarships21.jpg.

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