Applicants are being sought for the up to 155 Hauora Māori scholarships available to support and encourage Māori nursing students in their careers.
Applications opened today (February 14) for the scholarships that are open to Māori students in nine health disciplines including community health workers and health management.
Associate Minister of Health Jenny Salesa said the scholarships were a great opportunity for students and health care workers and offered them support to help them achieve and excel in their chosen health career. She also said enhancing and encouraging Māori representation in the health workforce is hugely important so that the system responds effectively to the needs of Māori.
Currently nurses identifying as Māori make up about seven per cent of the total nursing workforce while Māori comprise about 15 per cent of the New Zealand population. But the percentage of Māori nurses may be on the increase with Māori nurse graduates making up 14-15 per cent of applicants to the latest two rounds of the ACE new graduate job matching process.
There are 11 Hauora Māori scholarship categories (covering nine specific health disciplines plus other undergraduate health-related degrees and Māori students studying towards a postgraduate qualification). There are also three special award categories: the Excellence Awards, the John McLeod Award and Te Apa Māreikura Award. The scholarships and awards range in value from $1000 to $10,000 each. Nursing scholarships are worth $1700 each.
To be eligible for a Hauora Māori Scholarship, applicants must be a student enrolled and attending a university, polytechnic, wānanga or private training establishment based in New Zealand and have whakapapa and/or cultural links with Te Ao Māori or Māori communities.
They must demonstrate a commitment to and/or competence in Māori health and wellbeing and be studying a health or disability-related, NZQA accredited course.
Online applications open at 5pm today (14 February) and close on 28 March.
More details are available on the Ministry of Health website: http://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/populations/maori-health/hauora-maori-scholarships-2018
