Night of Firsts was a celebration of ten young people from The West stepping into the start of a four-year scholarship with First Foundation. It was also a celebration of everyone standing behind them: whānau, schools, mentors, and the wider community.
For many of these students, it was a genuine first. The first time tertiary study felt achievable. Often the first in their whānau to take this path.
The students come from across The West and reflect everything that makes our local communities strong. They’re future teachers, engineers, health professionals, creatives and leaders. Their study paths are different but they share the same drive to use their education to make a difference, and they stay grounded in the schools, whānau and cultures that shaped them.
First Foundation’s four-year programme is more than a scholarship. Each student gets a dedicated professional mentor, paid work experience, and ongoing pastoral care. At the centre of it is the Student Engagement Manager, who walks alongside students through the full four years, running life-skills and career workshops and helping them navigate study, work, and everything in between.
In the 2025 funding round, First Foundation received $20,000 from the Your West Support Fund, going directly toward the Student Engagement Manager’s salary.
When a young person succeeds, the impact ripples out. To their whānau. Their neighbourhood. The whole of The West. That’s what Night of Firsts was about.
