BOP Education Trust Supplementary Grants Recipients

From good old-fashioned growing-your-greens to robotic parts, the BOP Education Trust has it covered.

Two organisations focused on such things are amongst those to receive funding from the Trust through its 2026 supplementary grants scheme.

This year seven BOP organisations, all focusing on worthwhile endeavours to benefit youth, have received a share of just shy of $80,000 from the Trust. 

These varied organisations are: Deaf Club Tauranga ($10,500), Life Education Trust ($10,000), Mana Motuhake Programme ($10,500), STEAM-Ed ($4685), PiPS ($5,000), Graeme Dingle Foundation ($16,000) and Edge/ICONZ ($18,000). 

STEAM-ED, a well-established education provider, will use its allocation to upgrade its 'Generation one VEX IQ' robot 'brains' and controllers. The intention then is expansion of robotics classes into high schools, using up-to-date technology.    

PiPS, meanwhile, delivers in-school, seed-to-table gardening programmes to primary and intermediate schools. The programme enhances education through real-world, experiential learning. Students get their hands dirty tackling organic gardening practices such as seed saving, composting, worm farming, and companion planting… learning how to grow and prepare healthy kai in a sustainable way. 

BOP Education Trust chairman Nick Earl says the grants are an investment in organisations that focus on life skills for youth. These include building self-esteem and resilience, encouraging teamwork, problem solving and sound decision making, and fostering positive attitudes.

Nick says it is exciting when the annually gifted supplementary grants can enable organisation to continue/expand their good works and can also aid the creation of a programme – for example, the launch of a Tauranga Girls’ College “Mana Motuhake” Senior Equity & Transitions Programme. This is a high-impact, culturally-grounded programme for a cohort of Year 12-13 Māori and Pasifika students.

Spokesperson Madeleine Lambert says Mana Motuhake will deliver four workshops focused on identity, leadership, financial capability, and career pathway design. It will provide direct mentorship from Māori and Pasifika business leaders and tradespeople and sets out to connect students to local employment and training opportunities through partnerships. Its intention includes building practical capability (CVs, interviews, communication, workplace readiness) alongside confidence and identity as future leaders.

This year’s allocation includes other newcomers such as STEAM-ED and PiPS , for example, and Deaf Club, Tauranga.

One of the club’s board members, Leah Procter, says the grant will enable local attendance at a NZ Sign Language Camp for deaf and hard-of-hearing.

She says it has been disheartening to note that deaf and hard of hearing children in the BOP area currently lack the opportunity to experience the transformative benefits of attending a camp. The BOP Education Trust grant will change that.
“By participating in a camp, these children can develop their confidence, cultivate lasting relationships, and foster a sense of belonging and identity. Furthermore, they can gain valuable insights into Deaf culture and New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL).”

The value of the grant will go beyond solely the camp experience, she says.

“By championing the rights of all deaf members in the Bay of Plenty, we aspire to lay a solid foundation within the deaf community. Together, we can create a brighter future for all.”

The grants are another way in which the BOP Education Trust helps young people in the coastal Bay of Plenty, with the Trust best known for its annual Science, Technology and Emerging Industries Scholarships for those beginning tertiary education.

Applications for next year’s supplementary grant funding round will open late this year, with information available on the Trust’s website https://bopeducationtrust.org.nz/apply-grant Organisations involved in supporting youth within the Katikati to Ōpōtiki coastal region may be eligible.

Nick says there is no limit to the slice of the $80,000 that organisations/agencies can apply for, however the most one organisation has received has been $18,000. 

He says the Trust is always open to considering other agencies and organisations to support, whether by way of sponsorship or in partnership with other parties and he urges people to apply. 

 

(Below) Local school students enjoying what their planting produced.

(Below) Amelia and Aroha, working with robotics equipment during a STEAM-ED holiday programme.  Old equipment is being replaced by the pictured robot 'brain'.