Whakakaha iwi whanui
Cultivating Community
67
Students supported since 2020
Over $90,000 awarded
5 Students 2020
10 Students 2021
11 Students 2022
13 Students 2023
14 Students 2024
14 Students 2025
Hei oranga tangata. We invest in people.
In Te Tairawhiti, economic pressures on our whenua disproportionately affect the most vulnerable, often excluding them from financial benefits. The East Coast, like many rural areas, faces slow economic growth, enticing people away from whānau and whenua. Rua prioritizes kaitiakitanga, aiming to protect the environment and share business success with the community, driven by a belief that thriving businesses benefit both the land and its people.
Sponsor Te Tairawhiti Scholars
Sponsor Te Tairawhiti Scholars
Rua Bioscience Scholarship Programme – Investing in the Future of Te Tairawhiti
Pictured - Ariki Beach of Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o te Waiu o Ngati Porou.
Rua Bioscience is committed to sharing our success with the people and whenua of Te Tairawhiti. Guided by kaitiakitanga, we believe businesses should uplift their communities and create opportunities for rangatahi to learn, grow, and return home with skills that strengthen the region.
The Rua Bioscience Scholarship Programme supports tauira from Te Tairawhiti, or those with strong regional connections, to pursue tertiary study across a wide range of disciplines. By reducing financial barriers to education, the programme helps build long-term capability for our people and our rohe.
Since 2020, we with the help from our friends at Trust Tairawhiti have supported 53 students and awarded more than $80,000 in scholarships. In 2025, we are proud to award a $10,000 scholarship pool to 14 outstanding tauira beginning or continuing their tertiary journeys.
We warmly invite partners and supporters to take part in this kaupapa. A contribution of $2,000 adds directly to the scholarship pool, increasing the number of tauira we can support and expanding opportunities for rangatahi across Te Tairawhiti.
2025 Rua Bioscience Scholarship Recipients
Paimarire Heeney Haua (Pictured Right with Rua Bioscience Darylene Rogers) – Electrician, Wintec – Te Waiu
Kingston Walker-McClutchie – Engineering, Wintec – Te Waiu
Kamaia Keelan-Richards – Nursing, EIT – Ngata
Aali Rasmussen-Banks – Nursing, EIT – Ngata
John-Sonny Blackman – Marine Biology, Victoria University – Uawa
Te Huia Kohatu – Business Studies, Victoria University – Uawa
Omaio Waititi – Commerce, University of Auckland – Horouta
Maikel Taihuka Terekia – Screen Arts & Toi Maori, Massey University (Wellington) – Horouta
Lee Waere Maynard – Biomedical Science, University of Auckland – GGHS
Hannah Andrew – Veterinary Science, Massey University – GGHS
Jett Whitaker – Environmental Science, Victoria University – GBHS
Hugo Emerre – Finance & Economics, University of Otago – GBHS
Payton Hick – Science, Victoria University – Lytton
Danni Smith-Morgan – Commerce, Victoria University – Lytton
