Two Bay of Plenty students have been awarded $5000 each through a scholarship programme aimed at helping local learners pursue tertiary study.

Katie Twidle and Izaya Brown are the first recipients of the Tauranga Crossing and Toi Ohomai Scholarship, which will provide four scholarships across 2026 and 2027.

The programme reduces financial barriers for students pursuing further education, a media release said.

Twidle plans to study the New Zealand Certificate in Animal Care to become a large animal veterinary technician.

Having grown up around animals and volunteered for years at a local horse riding school, she hopes to support veterinarians caring for large animals across the region.

Twidle said she felt “extremely thankful” and “excited” to be chosen as a recipient.

She said the scholarship would help ease the cost of studying while travelling daily between Waihī Beach and Tauranga and working nights.

“It lets me stay focused on my goal of becoming a qualified vet technician working with large rural animals in the Western Bay of Plenty.”

Izaya Brown will undertake a Level 3 Trades programme at Toi Ohomai as he works towards becoming a qualified builder.

“This scholarship means the world to me, it’s like a childhood dream come true.”

He said it would take a “huge weight” off his shoulders financially, giving him greater freedom to focus on building his future, “with the goal of one day owning my own construction company and giving back to rangatahi who’ve been in the same position I was before I started this course”.

Tauranga Crossing centre manager Janet Vincent said the calibre of applications demonstrated the talent and ambition of young people across the Bay of Plenty.

“When we launched this scholarship programme, our goal was to invest in the future of our community by supporting local students to pursue their ambitions.”

Vincent said Katie and Izaya were “outstanding examples” of young people with a clear sense of purpose.

“We’re incredibly proud to help them take the next step in their education and future careers.”

Toi Ohomai marketing and creative manager Tom Worsp said the partnership was about creating opportunities that extend beyond the classroom.

“These scholarships recognise students with the drive to make a positive contribution to their industries and communities,” he said.

“We’re proud to partner with Tauranga Crossing to help remove financial barriers and support learners as they build successful futures.”

Tauranga Crossing will celebrate its 10th anniversary this year, with the scholarship programme part of its ongoing investment in local education and community development.

Two further $5000 scholarships will be available for students starting study at Toi Ohomai in Semester 1 of 2027, with applications due to open later this year.