PUBLISHED AUGUST 2026
The extraordinary potential of 2026
We can only extend a hand to a fraction of these students because of the calibre and volume of talent coupled with limited scholarship capacity. The gap between who we meet and who we can support is where our partners make all the difference.
Our 2026 applicants at a glance
What makes these rangatahi stand out
Our applicants are not just strong on paper. They demonstrate a combination of qualities that make them future leaders in every sense.
- Academic excellence in subjects ranging from STEM to arts.
- Leadership and service, through roles in schools, sports teams, cultural groups, youth councils, and community organisations.
- Resilience, shown in how they navigate financial pressure, family responsibilities, health challenges, and the realities of being first in their whānau to step towards university.
- A clear commitment to giving back, with many applicants explicitly naming how they plan to return their skills to their communities, regions, or iwi.
Kirk Sargent, CEO explains,
“Behind every application is a young person who has already proven they can step up. They’re not asking for a handout. They’re asking for a hand up so they can turn their strengths into impact for Aotearoa.”
Amanda, who connects our partners and scholars, describes the feeling in the room:
“You read these applications and you can see the future leaders of our country. The way they talk about responsibility, service, and ambition at 16 or 17 is extraordinary. It’s a privilege to even be in the position to consider supporting them.”
Our job is to recognise that calibre early, and then find the right partners to walk alongside them.
Scholarship Partners are a crucial part of our work. They sit on panels, hear scholar stories, and share their own organisational values and aspirations. We learn about our partners as carefully as we learn about scholars.
When we consider a match, we look for alignment across values, regions, industries, and future workforce needs. Many partners care deeply about giving back, diversity and inclusion, and enriching the pipeline of future workers in sectors such as health, technology, law, engineering, and education.
Today, some of the first young people we supported are employers, business leaders, board members, teachers and mentors themselves. Many are the first in their families to have gone to university. Their children will have a very different starting point. That is what intergenerational change looks like in practice.
An enduring misconception about educational inequity is that it is primarily about money. Financial support is important, often decisive, but it is rarely sufficient on its own.
Students navigating tertiary study without family experience of the system face challenges that are invisible to many of us. They must learn to understand expectations, manage their workload, and find their place.
They also have to imagine themselves in professional environments they’ve never been exposed to.
Mentoring matters because it normalises possibility. Exposure to the world of work matters because it builds confidence and aspiration. When these elements are combined and sustained, outcomes shift.
Who our scholar hopefuls are
Our applicants are academically talented Year 12 students who face barriers to higher education. Many would be first in their whānau to attend university.
Within the 2026 shortlisted applicants, our team has seen:
- Nearly three in four would be the first in their whānau to attend university, a clear sign of the intergenerational change a scholarship sets in motion.
- Academic strength across the board: more than nine in ten are achieving at NCEA Merit or Excellence.
- Their sights are set high. Of the 220 shortlisted applicants, all but one have named a degree, and health, medical and legal fields lead the way: health science (30), law (29) and medicine (28) are the most-chosen, with science, engineering and commerce close behind. Beyond those, the choices range widely, from architecture and teaching to veterinary science, design and software engineering, reflecting rangatahi headed into exactly the fields Aotearoa needs more home-grown talent in.
- Our 2026 shortlisted applicants came from 14 regions across Aotearoa. Auckland leads with 128, followed by Canterbury (19), Northland (16) and Wellington (13). The rest are spread from Otago (9) and Waikato (7) to Gisborne (7), Manawatū-Whanganui (6), Bay of Plenty (5) and Taranaki (4), with applicants reaching us from as far as the West Coast, Marlborough, Hawke’s Bay and Tasman.
We’re proud of this diversity. It shows rangatahi from every corner of Aotearoa are putting their hand up with ambition and hope. It reflects the communities we serve and the future of our workforce: engineers, doctors, teachers, lawyers, social workers, and leaders in many fields.
Scholar profiles
Tia
Tia has poured her energy into academic success to open doors that were not available to earlier generations in her whānau.
“I am a proud Māori and Samoan girl who is deeply passionate about being a positive role model for my peers, my whānau, and other young indigenous women.” She has focused solely on her studies, gaining a rare Top Scholar Award.
“The financial reality of managing one parent’s long-term illness means we have always had to carefully manage our finances. This environment has given me a practical, firsthand understanding of budgeting and financial responsibility, which is exactly why I am drawn to Accounting.
“I don’t just see it as a corporate career; I see it as a powerful tool to empower individuals, families, and community organisations to achieve financial stability and thrive.”
Charlotte
Charlotte’s start to high school was shaped by profound loss. Within a short time, she lost her teenage brother and then her father. As the youngest of ten children, she witnessed the immense sacrifices her mother made to care for their large whānau alone.
Charlotte spent much of her schooling in hospitals supporting her brother, but she chooses to focus on what those years gave her: resilience, empathy, and a drive to make every moment count.
Today, Charlotte is ambitious and dedicated. Her dream is to study marine biology and ecology to help protect Aotearoa’s moana (ocean) and te taiao (the natural world). She serves as a peer mentor at school and spends every Saturday volunteering in wildlife conservation. “What happened with my brother taught me to have empathy for others,” she says. “I want to show other young people that despite challenges, it is possible to pursue your goals and create change.”
Lucas
Following his passion allowed Lucas to discover what it’s like to lead by taking on a technology role at school.
“Leadership is not always about being the loudest person in the room or holding a title, but being dependable, solving problems efficiently, supporting others and ensuring everything runs smoothly without needing recognition.”
His excellent academic performance is the result of consistent effort across the year, and he’s also fitted in sport, casual work and helping an elderly neighbour. This is despite his parent suffering a chronic illness. He explains, “It has been very stressful mentally… This has made me more resilient and even more determined to have a clear career path. I would be the first in my family to go to university.” Lucas is keen to keep learning and working to thrive, succeed and lead.
Maia
Maia has turned the challenge of navigating the path to university alone into a lesson in self-reliance.
At school, she has embraced every opportunity to grow, including joining special interest groups for science, the environment, philosophy, and creative writing. All the while, she’s maintained her academic performance and strong faith.
Her goal is to study Pharmacy, but her vision goes beyond the clinic. “Even though no one before me has had the chance to attend university, I am particularly interested in making healthcare support more accessible within communities that may face barriers,” she says.
For Maia, attending university is the first step to a career in health, where she will be able to improve the wellbeing of others directly.
Sara
After arriving as a refugee in New Zealand, Sara started school without English. She’s now ready to study to improve accessible healthcare for migrant and refugee communities.
“As the first in my family to aspire to university, my journey in education has required resilience, adaptability, and determination. Over time, I developed my English skills, moved from ESOL into mainstream classes, and later achieved a pass in numeracy.”
Sara has also given back through the Student Volunteer Army, an SPCA shop, a retirement home, and fundraising for the Independent Women’s Refuge. She is especially proud of bringing together others from her culture for a school performance. Her goal is to work in the health sector, “improving access and outcomes… particularly those from migrant and refugee backgrounds.”
Scholar names have been changed to protect their privacy.
If you are reading this as a potential or current Scholarship Partner, we invite you to do two things:
Make an enquiry about becoming, or continuing as, a Scholarship Partner, so we can explore how your values and aspirations might align with a future scholar.
Share this piece within your organisation, so others can see the calibre of rangatahi we meet and the impact your support can have.
Supporting a scholar is not only an investment in one student. It is a decision to be woven into the story of their whānau and everyone who comes after them. The next question is simple: which future do you want your organisation’s name to sit beside?
Loved this story? Share it using the social buttons!
