Scholarships

Pharmac supports a range of scholarship opportunities for Māori working and studying in the health sector.

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Ngā Taonga Mātauranga o Ngā Pou Mana Awards

Applications closed October 2023.

Ngā Pou Mana Tangata Whenua Allied Health (NPM) in association with Te Pātaka Whaioranga (Pharmac) established the “Ngā Taonga Mātauranga o Ngā Pou Mana Awards” in recognition of the positive impact kaimahi Māori have on whānau, hapū and Iwi.

The awards are to support Māori allied health workforce development, to continue studies and to grow professional and cultural practice. The awards will provide tautoko and manaaki for kaimahi to continue their ongoing development. The awards will be run annually and will be presented at the Ngā Pou Mana Hui-ā-Tau each year.

“Ngā Taonga Mātauranga o Ngā Pou Mana” awards is offered in three categories.

Category One – Ngā Pou Mana Kete Tuauri mō te whānau - for community kaimahi $1,000

The Pou Mana kete that holds the knowledge of ritual, memory and prayer.

This award is open to those working in the community (voluntary or paid) making a positive change in the area of hauora. 

Category Two – Ngā Pou Mana Kete Aronui mō te tauira - for students $1,500

The Pou Mana kete that holds the knowledge that helps mankind.

This award is open to those studying at at any level (certificate, diploma, degree, postgraduate, masters, PhD or doctorate) in an allied health pathway.

Category Three – Ngā Pou Mana Mātauranga Māori $2000

The Pou Mana award which helps learning the knowledge of things Māori.

This award is open to any Māori Ngā Pou Mana members, who are entering into study or are in study to build their understanding of Te Ao Māori. Students do not have to be studying in an allied health pathway.

Eligibility

  • You must be of Māori descent and be able to provide some details of your whakapapa.
  • Category One: Community kaimahi and/or volunteers.  This award is open to those working in the community (voluntary or paid) making a positive change in the area of hauora.
  • Category Two: Student Award.  This award is open to those studying at any level (certificate, diploma, degree, postgraduate, masters, PhD or doctorate) in an allied health pathway.
  • Category Three: Mātauranga Māori. This award is open to any Māori Ngā Pou Mana members, who are entering into study or are in study to build their understanding of Te Ao Māori. Students do not have to be studying in an allied health pathway.
  • It is at the discretion of the Ngā Pou Mana award panel to determine what kaimahi or roles can be considered for the Category Three: Mātauranga Māori award, which can include, but are not limited to cultural advisors, therapy assistants, whānau ora navigators, rongoā Māori practitioners and technician assistants.

Not Eligible

  • Medical, Pharmacy and Nursing students and professionals cannot apply for the Ngā Pou Mana Māori Allied Health awards (please check other scholarships, including the Te Ora Medical Student Awards, Māori Pharmacy Awards, and the Māori Nurses Awards).
  • People living outside of Aotearoa/New Zealand cannot apply for these awards.
  • If you already receive full scholarships for your study, you may not be eligible for these awards.
  • Incomplete form (please refer to checklist that ALL applicable sections have been completed).

If you have any questions, please email scholarships@ngapoumana.org.nz

Hiwinui Heke Scholarship

Applications closed for 2023

In partnership with the Māori Pharmacists’ Association, Ngā Kaitiaki o Te Puna Rongoā o Aotearoa (MPA) and Pharmac, this scholarship was established to support the education of Māori pharmacy students studying toward their Bachelor of Pharmacy degree, and to promote pharmacy as a career.

The scholarship is named in honour of Hiwinui Heke MPS (1930–2014). Born at Ranana, Te Ngae, Rotorua in 1930. Matua Heke had iwi affiliations throughout Te Arawa. Educated in Rotorua, Hiwinui took up an apprenticeship with Hiskins Pharmacy in Taumarunui and enrolled at the Pharmacy College, Wellington (Cambridge Terrace). He qualified, becoming a member of the NZ Pharmaceutical Society (MPS) in 1955, the first Māori to do so. Matua Heke’s endurance, patience and pharmaceutical longevity, along with his leadership of Māori in the profession, inspired many.

The establishment of the Hiwinui Heke scholarships in 2008 was a tribute to Matua Hiwinui’s inspiration and dedication to pharmacy. These scholarships are awarded annually to outstanding Māori pharmacy students. In applying for this scholarship you will be picking up the mantle of Matua Hiwinui.

Key information:

  • You must be a member of MPA to apply.
  • We will accept electronic and/or hard copies.
  • If posting, do not enclose original certificates or transcripts.
  • All applications are assessed by an Assessment Panel.
The logo of the Tapuhi Kaitiaki awards. It is a stylised outline of a Māori wharenui with a heart embedded in the middle. It's in shades of purple. The Base of the whare is the words "tapuhi kaitiaki awards"..

Tapuhi Kaitiaki Awards

Pharmac, in conjunction with Te Poari o Te Rūnanga o Aotearoa/New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO), established the Tapuhi Kaitiaki Awards in recognition of the positive impact Māori nurses have on whānau and the role they play as key influencers on health outcomes.  

These awards have been created to support Māori nurses to continue their studies and develop their clinical practice. Each year the Tapuhi Kaitiaki recipients are announced at the Indigenous Nurses Conference. 

Tapuhi Kaitiaki awards are offered in two categories. 

Category One - Nurse Practitioner or Nurse Prescribing Award

This award acknowledges nurses who are on a professional development journey to become a nurse prescriber and supports them to advance their clinical practice and expertise. 

Category Two - Māori Nurse Mātauranga Award

These awards are open to nurses (enrolled and registered) and tauira who wish to further their study and/or would like to develop an innovative way to assist whānau, hapū and iwi to access and understand their medicines. 

Applications for 2023 are closed.

Pharmac & Te ORA Medical Student Awards

In 2016, Te ORA, in association with Pharmac, launched two new annual Medical Student Awards.

  • Te Tohu Whaioranga Rangahau – Te ORA and Pharmac student award for Excellence in Research.
  • Te Tohu Whaioranga Hautūtanga – Te ORA and Pharmac student award for Excellence in Leadership. This award is for Community Leadership excellence, where the student has demonstrated the most outstanding contribution and community leadership during the year.

Te Ora will invite mentors, colleagues, and peers to nominate a student for an award. Students can be nominated to receive an award in the two award categories.

The successful students will be presented with their award at the Te ORA Hui-a-Tau by Pharmac and Te ORA representatives each year.

Recipients of the awards will be awarded an educational grant to encourage excellence in research and leadership.

If you have any queries, contact teora@teora.maori.nz