Winners of the 2023 and 2024 Page/Acorn Engineering Scholarship are recipients of funding for two years to assist with expenses and equipment.

Awarded annually to second-year apprentices at local engineering firms, recipients and their respective workplaces have received the funding and honour from the Acorn Foundation at a special awards ceremony.

Since the scholarship fund was established in 2008 by the late Bob and Pat Page nearly 80 apprentices and their workplaces across the Western Bay of Plenty have received support with over $350,000 distributed.

Acorn Foundation CEO Lori Luke says Bob Page co-founded local firm Page and Macrae Engineering in 1953 and was always passionate about seeing young people succeed.

“Bob and Pat established the scholarship fund to reward and encourage apprentices who go above and beyond expectations. Their incredible generosity sees invaluable support given to worthy scholarship recipients.”

The Page/Acorn award ceremony, held on Tuesday May 28, honoured recipients from the previous two years, giving the opportunity for the award winners and their families to celebrate their achievements and to connect with other local apprentices.

2023 scholarship recipients were Ezra Keenan, Robert Page Engineering, Te Mawae McAllister, Bailey Snowling, Eron Manabat, Joshua Conroy, and Lewis Graham from Page Macrae Engineering, and Adrian Meyer from Boshier Engineering.

2024 scholarship recipients are: Joshua Chugg, Alec Coleman, Madason Leaga and Mackenzie Morgan from Page Macrae Engineering, Owen Poppe, Pacific Sawmill Engineering Limited and Jessica Winslade, Contract Mechanical Services.

Narayan Singh won a Page/Acorn Scholarship in 2010. He completed his apprenticeship at Contract Mechanical Service, where he is now the General Manager.

At Tuesday’s event he offered advice to the apprentices present and spoke about his pathway to achieving the successes he’s had in his career to date and the challenges young apprentices face.

“When I got the scholarship as a young fellow, the meaning of it didn’t strike me as much as it does now,” says Narayan.

“When you get it, you don’t understand the value of wealth as much until you age. Looking back as an employer and seeing the vision of the scholarship and the legacy behind it, I can really see just how impactful it was for me.”

Lori says they look forward to awarding the scholarships annually and seeing the recipients succeed in their chosen career.

“Bob and Pat Page would be absolutely thrilled that their dream of assisting local apprentices to achieve their goals has come so far.”