Hawke's Bay baritone Phillip Rhodes has been selected for a prestigious role with the Royal Opera in the United Kingdom.
Mr Rhodes, who is the foster son of Flaxmere councillor Henare O'Keefe, was chosen for a new scheme which offers cover roles to promising singers.
Mr O'Keefe said he was "so proud" of Mr Rhodes.
"He deserves every success. Dame Kiri is adamant he's the next big thing in opera. He's totally booked out for the year already. To see him flourish and blossom is amazing to behold."
The scheme was made possible by a £70,00 ($136,228) donation from the Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation, in recognition of Dame Kiri's 70th birthday and her long association with Covent Garden in London.
The grant is to be used during the next three to five years to further the careers of emerging artists, giving them international exposure.
Mr Rhodes was selected for this year's and next year's season, with Uzbekistan soprano Hulkar Sabirova.
They will cover the roles of Enrico and Lucia respectively in The Royal Opera's new production of Lucia di Lammermoor.
Mr Rhodes made his debut as Enrico with Auckland Opera Studio last year. His recent roles have included Marcello (La Boheme) with Opera New Zealand and Opera North and Aeneas (Dido and Aeneas) for Opera North.
Dame Kiri Te Kanawa said she was delighted the foundation had made such a significant contribution to the careers of talented artists.
"The world of international opera today is very different from the one I entered 44 years ago. The field is full to overflowing with highly trained, motivated and ready-to-go young artists who have everything it takes to build a career - except performance experience.
"I'm very excited to be collaborating in this way with the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, and to watch the careers of the exceptional young artists chosen for the Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation awards unfold."