London life fits like a glove

The former Otumoetai College student - and BOP Education Trust 2016 scholarship recipient - is London based, working for a leading management consultancy company.

Hannah moved to London in 2022 to take on a role as a senior consultant at Alchemmy. She was promoted to a managerial position in May this year. The London move followed work experience in NZ at the Department of Internal Affairs (in the regulatory services division) and then as a management consultant at EY Wellington.

Victoria University is Hannah’s alma mater. From there she graduated with a Bachelor of Science majoring in Geography and Anthropology.

As a management consultant she is, effectively, a problem solver for clients. She thoroughly enjoys the diversity of her client base - some in the public sector, others within the rail and aviation sectors.

“Each project is different, but I’ve worked in roles doing business analysis (gathering requirements for change, analysing current ways of working and designing improvements), operating model design (understanding how a business is structured, identifying challenges, and recommending new structures and ways of working) and in business change (assisting companies to understand, communicate and transition through change),” Hannah explains

Not only is the job enjoyable, life in London isn’t too shabby either, she laughs.

“I love London life - there’s always something going on (music gigs, theatre shows, new restaurants and pubs to try out) and it’s a great place to be based if you want to explore Europe (the train to Paris only takes 2.5 hours!).

“The best thing about working in London compared to NZ is that no one starts work until at least 9am (I’ve got used to the sleep-ins) and I’ve got amazing office views over the Thames,” she shares.

Eight years on from crossing the stage to receive her BOPET scholarship, Hannah says she remains very appreciative.

“Heading into uni, the scholarship eased the amount of money going on to my student loan and gave me a huge confidence boost, because if others believed in me enough to financially support me, then I could believe in myself too! That really helped,” she says.

Life skills programmes benefit from the Trust’s coffers

Organisations involved in providing young people with science kits, dirt bike group therapy, and an innovative woodworking programme are the main beneficiaries of recent BOP Education Trust goodness.

House of Science, Youth Encounter and Edge BBNZ successfully applied for support through the Trust’s supplementary grants programme this year. On top of that, the Trust has again provided funding for the Graeme Dingle Trust Project K Foundation (this time for one student).

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

Both Western and Eastern BOP House of Science organisations each received $3,000 in this funding round, Edge BBNZ’s workshop endeavours were supported by $9,600, Youth Encounter was gifted $10,000 towards delivering its Dirt Bike Group Therapy programme, while the Graeme Dingle Trust received $8,000.

Dirt bike therapy sounds intriguing.
What is it?

Speaking on behalf of Youth Encounter, Maree Rauhala thanks the Trust for enabling it to deliver “the transformative” dirt bike group therapy, which assists selected young people from Whakatane’s Alternative Education Centre.

She says dirt bike therapy is aimed at strengthening identity through activity-based one-on-one and group sessions interwoven with clinical counselling.

In the group therapy sessions, she explains, the power of outdoor activities like dirt biking is harnessed to create a dynamic and engaging therapeutic environment. This adrenaline-fueled experience serves as more than just a recreational activity – it becomes the backdrop for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy interventions.

Young people who had completed the course noted advantages such as: increased self-worth, more meaningful relationships, an engagement in values-based learning, and a development of social skills to grow healthy relationships.

More on the supplementary grants

The Trust’s supplementary grants initiative is relatively new. Other organisations to benefit in the last few years are: Blue Light Ventures (Tauranga and Whakatane) and ICONZ.

The grants are another way in which the Trust helps young people in the coastal Bay of Plenty.  Applications for next year’s funding round will open early in 2025. Further details will feature in our first enewsletter of next year.