“For those who don’t know me, my name is Louise Bremner. I was the recipient of a 2021 Key Partner Scholarship and am now an Alumni of the Trust.

I grew up as a farm kid in rural Bay of Plenty. At my high school, I found a passion in wood technology and business. It was also at high school, I learnt about the Japanese concept of Ikigai. If you haven’t heard of it before, it is the four parts of life which create “a reason for being”, creating a feeling of accomplishment and fulfilment from following your purpose. The four areas include Passion, Mission, Vocation and Profession – something you love, something the world needs, something that will make you money, and something you’re good at.

I spent a lot of time trying to find a path which aligned with these reasons for being, and with some help from my teachers, I landed on a Bachelor of Construction, with a major in Construction Management. In my first year after high school, 2020, I moved up to Auckland to study just that at Massey University.

A lot has happened from then to now. I mean, I didn’t think it would get me a gig talking in front of hundreds of people, but here we are. As I have grown up, I have found purpose in living my life through a few guiding mantras, so I wanted to explain how two of these have influenced my path with the Keystone Trust and the first years of my career.

Mantra One. ‘Doubt killed more dreams than failure ever did’

When I heard about the Keystone Trust at University, I didn’t think I had a chance of getting a scholarship. But, I pushed through my doubt. I applied, and I got two interviews. I went to my interviews, and I was successful with one. I was the recipient of the scholarship in my second year, and the doubts were beginning to subside to give way to the start of my dream career.
When the cogs didn’t align for a Cadetship at the time, I was scared – the doubt started to creep in again. Fortunately, Amanda put me in touch with C3 Construction. A few days later, I was getting coffee with two of the directors, Tamati and Kirk. I was offered a cadetship later that day and I was on site in my steel caps and hi-vis later that week.
That was over 2 years ago today, how time flies. I’ve worked on a large scope of projects, from townhouses through to retirement villages. I have an incredible support network through the Trust and Employer who wants nothing more than to see me thrive. Now, I work as the Design Manager for C3 Construction and am a Green Star Accredited Professional working on an industrial warehouse project, targeting a 5 Star Rating of New Zealand Excellence.

Mantra Two: ‘Confidence comes from doing something that’s a little scary over and over again until it becomes habit. No child ever learnt how to ride a bike by just sitting on the seat.’

I can’t say that my path to get to where I am has been without its speedbumps. It has challenging, stressing and scary at times. Regardless, none of my growth would have happened without going through some difficult moments.

Keystone Trust helped me grow this confidence by providing me with integral knowledge and experience. One of the most memorable for me include the financial literacy programme Keystone ran with BNZ to educate us about topics such as debt, budgeting, Kiwisaver and paths to home ownership.
I’ve been able to network with incredible professionals across different property related sectors in the events the Keystone Trust host throughout the year. There’s nothing like a pep talk with Amanda before you approach a CEO to ask about their success story.

I have been a part of multiple site visits across Auckland. From sustainable projects capturing daylight for passive energy, to learning about the difficulties of operating around live buildings and managing hundreds of subcontractors – we were physically shown the way our dreams could manifest in front of us.
From these combined experiences, I grew confidence in a way I didn’t think was possible and have had a kickstart to my path in the industry.

My life trajectory changed when I was introduced to the Keystone Trust. This is something which I will be forever grateful for.
I encourage you think of all of the lives you’re impacting today with your bids. Because with your support, young people like me have access to opportunities to thrive which simply wouldn’t happen otherwise.
Because with your support, I have found my Ikigai – my Passion, Mission, Vocation and Profession – something I love, something the world needs, something that will make me money, and something I truly feel like I’m starting to get good at. Thank you.”

Louise Bremner (2021), WAIDE Construction KSP recipient – Alumni speaker at 2023 Rugby Lunch.