A total of 13 Bay of Plenty students have won a 2021 Outward Bound Scholarship.

These scholarships are awarded annually to Year 12 students from local Western Bay of Plenty schools, plus Whakatane High School, to attend the Tangaroa Watch programme at Anakiwa in the South Island.

The seven winners were announced at a celebration hosted by the Acorn Foundation at The Kollective on June 29.

'Students are nominated by their schools and selected by Outward Bound staff members based on their commitment to their school and the community, with demonstrated financial need and an opportunity to improve their self-confidence,” says a spokesperson for The Acorn Foundation.

'This is the fifth year that committed Acorn donors and other local supporters have provided these valuable scholarships to this three-week programme that uses outdoor adventures and physical activities to build resilience, perseverance and communication skills which deliver life-long benefits.”

The scholarship winners are:

Katikati College: Leo Morley

Otumoetai College: Eva Karena and Finn Gray

Papamoa College: Saskia Gesthuizen and Nick Cooper

Tauranga Boys' College: Micah Pugh and Tom Hughes

Tauranga Girls' College: Talia MacKinnon and Lani Payne

Te Puke High School: Sophie Sullivan and Daehn Nathan

Whakatane High School: Iziah Carter and Tyler Long