The numbers certainly stack up favourably when you take a look at Keystone’s latest graduate statistics.
Of last year’s 23 graduating students, 17 have gone into full time employment. That’s a 74 per cent strike rate. “A terrific result,” says Keystone general manager Amanda Stanes. Keeping things in the Keystone family, eight of those students have taken up posts with trust sponsors – namely Rubix, TSA Riley, RCP, Bayleys, Kiwi Property, The Building Intelligence Group (TBIG) and Southbase. Some of these placements had their beginnings as internships when our students were completing their degrees.
Temukisa with Simone Sharp at Rubix office
So who better to illustrate the all-round success of the 30-year-plus trust than one of the scholars? Temukisa Taito can tell the story well. The 2023 AECOM Key Partner Scholarship graduate has a Bachelor of Building Science degree from Victoria University of Wellington. Now an assistant project manager with Rubix, she says the role is fulfilling her childhood dream of exploring both her creative side and the logic of what goes into a building, as well as inspiring more women and Pasifika students to enter the building science industry.
A third-year tertiary student when she was awarded her scholarship, Temukisa was first mentored by Simone Sharp – who is herself a Keystone scholar of the past. Simone received the inaugural Bayleys Key Partner Scholarship 20 years ago.
The links continue: Simone is now Director, National Health Sector Lead, at Rubix. She maintains many trust connections, including as a member of both the selection panel and the Keystone board. For Temukisa, the scholarship was a life-changer.
Having left her South Auckland family to study in the capital, she encountered difficulty managing life far from home. “My study and work-life balance was in a shambles,” she says. Learning that she was on the Keystone interview shortlist was a boost in itself: “it was so refreshing. It put me back on my feet and gave me so much hope.” In her words, receiving the scholarship: “changed the trajectory of my studies. It opened doors within the industry that my degree alone could not reach.” Keystone, says Temukisa, “was the stepping stone of my career. They saw the potential in me and continued to support me throughout my studies and post-studies. Being able to maintain those relationships was so important.”
That’s what the trust is all about, says Amanda Stanes. “For the past 32 years Keystone has helped school leavers and existing tertiary students from around the motu who have a passion for construction and property to commence and successfully conclude their education.” As demonstrated by Temukisa and the scores of graduates who have gone before her, it’s more than the money that counts.
Mentoring, work experience, job placements and pastoral care builds the future leadership capacity of the construction and property sectors in perpetuity, says Amanda Stanes. At the end of 2025, the trust awarded 34 scholarships, while 69 students were receiving scholarships and pastoral support through Keystone. In total, 66 sponsors are now on board. That’s a colossal difference to its inauguration in 1994, when just two scholarships were offered and the goal was to raise $1 million in capital funds (a sum reached in a couple of years).
Says Amanda Stanes: “Keystone’s strength lies in what it does for both students and the industry. We believe in building the next generation of leaders – and those leaders who were once school leavers give back to the industry and the community. “Three decades on, the need for financial assistance and pastoral support unfortunately still exists, as access to tertiary education is not equitable to large tracts of our young people,” she adds.
“So the trust continues to play a significant part in creating broader outcomes in our society.”
