An exodus to university

More Year 13 graduates from Bay of Islands than usual will enter tertiary institutes next year, the college taking particular pride in Atereano Mateariki, Bodene Davis, Darcey Rapana and Rhiaan Smith. They have each been awarded prestigious scholarships from four of New Zealand's top universities.

Atereano Mateariki, from Opahi (Ngati Hine), who has won a McDonald's Te Taitokerau scholarship worth $10,000 for study at Auckland University of Technology, will begin a Bachelor of Maori Development (Maori Media) degree with a view to a career in radio or secondary teaching.

Bodene Davis (Kawakawa, Ngai Tupoto/Te Popoto), who will study for a Bachelor of Engineering degree at the University of Auckland, has been awarded a Chancellor's Award for Top Maori and Pacific Students, always keenly contested by high academic achievers, worth around $40,000 over three years.

Bodene specifically thanked the teachers who wrote his references, Ros MacEachern and Jasmine Maunsell, and all those who supported him through college .

Darcey Rapana (Moerewa, Ngati Whatua) has received a $5000 Northland Future Leaders' School Leaver Scholarship from the University of Waikato. The scholarship seeks out future leaders from and for Northland, and is awarded on the basis of leadership, community involvement, contribution to cultural and sporting activities and other factors including character, academic ability and commitment to succeed.

Darcey, who has displayed all of these characteristics during his education so far, will next year begin studying towards a Bachelor of Arts (Maori Culture), with plans to teach at secondary level.

Rhiaan Smith (Kawakawa, Ngati Hine/Ngati Kopaki), had to make a difficult decision after she was accepted for two of the most competitive undergraduate courses, the health science programme at Otago University and the Bachelor of Communications degree at AUT. She was also offered scholarships at both universities. Passionate and skilled in both the arts and sciences, her decision came down to her desire to pursue a career as a paediatrician.

She will study health science at Otago, with two scholarships, the $10,000 Maori and Pacific Entrance Scholarship and the Tu Kahika Health Science Scholarship programme, which provides accommodation, financial assistance for fees, academic support and career guidance.

Rhiaan, who is this year's head girl, acknowledged the support of her mother and her wider whanau, adding that her time at Bay of Islands College and a few "particular stellar teachers" had given her the platform to pursue her goals.

"I am extremely proud of my peers, and happy to have experienced college life with them. I wish only great things for them all," she said.

"Our college is small but students coming through Bay continue to prove, as my peers and I are doing now, how great a start we have received to our life-long education."

Bodene, Rhiaan and Atereano have been good friends from an early age. They were each raised bi-lingual, have teachers in their families, attended Kawakawa Primary school and have attended Bay of Islands College for the last five years, where they were part of the Te Kotahitanga programme in their junior years.

Darcey arrived from Moerewa School last year, and immediately impressed staff and peers with his positivity and focus on learning.