King's Birthday Honours 2025: 12 Northlanders recognised
Of this year's recipients, 12 are from Northland. The Northern Advocate caught up with
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Scoop
7 hours ago
- Scoop
20 Years Of ProCare Scholarships For University Of Auckland Medical Students
ProCare is proud to mark the 20th anniversary of its scholarship programme supporting Māori and Pacific medical students at the University of Auckland. Since 2003, the ProCare Scholarship has recognised top-performing students in the General Practice part of the University's Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) programme. This year these scholarships are awarded to Maaike de Goede (Ngāti Maniapoto and Ngāti Haua) and Zion Ioka (Pacific). Bindi Norwell, Chief Executive at ProCare says: 'Twenty years ago, we set out to support Māori and Pacific students on their journey to becoming doctors in partnership with the University of Auckland. Supporting our future workforce, particularly our Māori and Pacific students, is a key priority for us. Having our workforce reflect the community we serve means patients have better healthcare experiences and ultimately live better, healthier lives." 'Maaike and Zion are incredibly hard workers who are dedicated to their studies and to helping the community. We are thrilled to recognise and celebrate their inspiring efforts, and we look forward to seeing what the future holds for them,' Norwell concludes. Mihi Blair, Kaiwhakahaere Hauora Māori, Mana Taurite (GM of Māori Health and Equity), at ProCare says: 'These awards both commend the success of our top Māori and Pacific students and aid them in their journey to become medical professionals, helping to ensure that Māori and Pacific are represented in the medical field. Our Māori and Pacific tauira (students) succeed not just for themselves, but for their whānau and wider communities. We are proud to walk alongside them as they prepare to serve and uplift their communities,' concludes Blair. Maaike and Zion have exciting goals for the future, which the scholarships will assist them with. Māori Scholarship recipient, Maaike de Goede, says: 'I plan to continue working in rural hospitals in the Bay of Plenty. My current potential specialisations are intensive care, anaesthetics, or paediatrics (or combining them!). However, I am still open-minded and enjoying where my career will take me. 'Having a workforce that reflects our society doesn't just mean we look the same. It also refers to our experiences. Understanding, relating to, and empathising with people only enhances whakawhanaungatanga. There is a whakatauki that I like to tell myself when things are tough, whether it be life in general, work or school - Kia mate ururoa, kei mate wheke - fight like a shark, don't give up like an octopus," concludes de Goede. Pacific Scholarship recipient, Zion Ioka, says: 'This has to be the most full-circle moment throughout my time in the MBcHB, as I entered this degree with every intention of graduating and completing my specialty training as a GP. My dream is to open a GP clinic in West Auckland with the intention of serving the community that I was born and raised in. 'I would like to thank everyone involved for awarding me the ProCare Top Pacific GP placement award in 2024,' Ioka concluded. This award was established in 2003 and is a significant academic accolade. The prize is intended to foster interest in General Practice medicine as a career path for Māori and Pacific students. About ProCare ProCare is a leading healthcare provider that aims to deliver the most progressive, pro-active and equitable health and wellbeing services in Aotearoa. We do this through our clinical support services, mental health and wellness services, virtual/tele health, mobile health, smoking cessation and by taking a population health and equity approach to our mahi. As New Zealand's largest Primary Health Organisation, we represent a network of general practice teams and healthcare professionals who provide care to nearly 700,000 patients across Auckland. These practices serve the largest Pacific and South Asian populations enrolled in general practice and the largest Māori population in Tāmaki Makaurau.
RNZ News
17 hours ago
- RNZ News
Charity looks how best to support mental health of young Māori in rural Bay of Plenty
The project will be led by Luke Gray who is a founder of WĀHI and a trained occupational therapist. Photo: Qiane-Matata-Sipu/ supplied A new research project by youth charity WĀHI is heading out into rural Bay of Plenty to gather the voices of young Māori and investigate how best to support their mental health. The three-year project, funded through a partnership with the Clare Foundation with support from Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi, will involve collaboration with local schools including Whakatāne High School, Te Kura o Te Whānau-a-Apanui, and Tarawera High School, and will explore how Māori philosophies and values can be used to shape mental health promotion. The project will be led by Luke Gray, founder of WĀHI and a trained occupational therapist, whose work in the Eastern Bay of Plenty has already reached thousands of rangatahi through the PETRA Programme, an activities-based mental health education initiative. Gray (Ngāti Pūkeko) said it could be hard for anyone but especially rangatahi to step out and say 'I'm struggling'. He believed the best way combat this was to go out to rangatahi before they reached a crisis point, which was why WĀHI engaged with schools. "Especially within our rural setting for whānau to travel two, three hours to come into town for a counselling session for an hour and then travel three hours home in terms of resources for whānau it's pretty inaccessible. And so that was our whakaaro behind WĀHI was about getting to people, getting to whānau rather than waiting for them to come to us." Gray said he loved his work as an occupational therapist but he could see there were other needs within the community that weren't being met. "There was kids who would come through that sort of triaging system and would still need some support but they wouldn't quite meet the criteria. So that was another thing that played into developing this kaupapa with WĀHI charitable trust." Gray's drive to support rangatahi through their mental health struggles was born out of personal experience. He and his two younger sisters grew up in Australia, he moved back to Aotearoa to study when he was 18 and his whānau followed a year later. "When they moved over my sister found it quite difficult to feel like she belonged, when she was 16, it's quite a tender age for people to be uprooted from home or everything they knew and brought over to a whole new country, a whole new community and she found it really, really difficult," he said. She was later diagnosed with anxiety and depression and it all came to a head during an overseas holiday where Gray she hardly left her room. Gray said he went to check up on her to see if she was okay and she reassured him that everything was all right. After the holiday he returned to Auckland to finish his studies and his sister was supposed to start back a school in Whakatāne. "The night before that happened I got a phone call from my mum... saying my sister had been rushed to hospital because she had attempted an overdose." As a big brother that was gutting, he said. He saw some of the things she was going through but didn't know the questions to ask and didn't know how to approach it. After that he had the chance to sit with his sister and listen to what was going on with her, he said. "She told me things were just getting overwhelmed with all the school stuff, she felt like she didn't fit in or didn't belong, she didn't feel like she was good enough or she didn't want to burden people with what she was going through. So all of those types of things is what added up to her attempting that overdose." Gray said his sister is still with them today and she still acts as a massive inspiration for her whānau. A while after that he told her he didn't want this to happen to any other rangatahi and that he wanted them to know they were valued and they were valuable. "And so I said to her, in honour of her bravery and her resilience that I wanted to create this kaupapa and that I wanted to name it after her, so that's where we get the Preventative Education and Training for Resilient Adolescents or the PETRA programme, my sister's name is Petra and it's dedicated to her." Gray is hopeful the project will be able to give rangatahi the tools to recognise emotions within themselves and if it is happening to their mates as well. Rangatahi were well aware of depression and anxiety, a big influence on that was social media, but may not know where to turn to get help, he said. "When I start to talk about [covering mental health] I always ask 'has anybody heard of the word depression? Has anyone heard of the word anxiety?' It doesn't matter where I go whether it's out into the middle of Te Urewera, up to Huiarau, or if I go down to Te Kaha, or I'm in Whakatāne in town, it's always above 90 percent of those kids know what those two things are. "They know what those things are and they might be experiencing them, but they don't always have access to the proper services... as a whole I think rural spaces are pretty underserviced." A big part of why they were doing this research was to get a proper understanding about what rangatahi needed in terms of improving their wellbeing and being able to feel they could overcome those challenges, he said. "I think this research is just an avenue for us to explore the voices of those who because of geography sometimes their voices are left out, but sometimes I think those quieter voices are the voices we need to listen to." Gray is working alongside his wife, who is also an occupational therapist, and will be a researcher on this project. His final message to any rangatahi struggling with their mental health is that there is always someone to talk to. "There are supports out there for you and there are people out there who care for you and want to make sure that you're thriving." If it is an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
NZ Herald
21 hours ago
- NZ Herald
On The Up: Northland GP awarded distinguished fellowship for equity work
Lawrence said the fellowship was 'pretty special' particularly because she received it alongside her respected mentor Dr Juliet Walker from South Auckland. 'It's the highest accolade we can get within our profession,' Lawrence said. 'The most important thing for me was being recognised with my mentor [Seiuli] Juliet Walker. 'When I went into general practice she helped me through the training programme. 'It was special being awarded and sitting next to her during the award ceremony. It was great honour.' Walker, who holds the Samoan chiefly title Seiuli, is a specialist GP dedicated to advocating for Pacific health through her work at both clinical and governance levels. Other fellowship recipients were Dr Glenn Doherty (Ngāti Porou) from Auckland, Dr Jason Tuhoe (Ngā Puhi, Ngāti Pikiao) from Tairāwhiti and Dr Andrew Webster from Auckland. Lawrence, a Samoan GP based in Whangārei, grew up in South Auckland. But with her mum from Maromaku and her husband of Ngāti Hine and Ngāti Maniapoto descent, it was an 'easy shift' to move to Northland with their children in 2005. Lawrence initially worked at Ngāti Hine Health Trust in Kawakawa, then ran a practice in Paihia. In 2013 she opened Te Whareora o Tikipunga, a family-focused community health and wellbeing centre. Lawrence said she is passionate about overcoming inequities that still exist for Māori and Pacific populations, which is 'one of the reasons I opened the Tikipunga clinic'. She hoped to inspire young people to take up medicine as a career. 'It was a big thing for the younger generations to see they can achieve this; for our up-and-coming medical trainees and the younger generation thinking about health as a career. 'To see there's pathways and the ability to achieve to the top of your scope.' Lawrence has served as chairwoman of the National Advisory Council, an advisory committee made up of college members from across the regions, and as an ex-officio member of the college board. She has sat on boards at a public health organisation level and is an academic co-ordinator for the University of Auckland where she sat on the board of examiners. In 2022, Lawrence was awarded the Pacific Medical Association's Life Award for her contribution and service to the Pacific community. College president Dr Luke Bradford said, 'Dr Lawrence's drive to improve the health and wellbeing of her Pacific community is evident through her ongoing advocacy and governance work where she shares her perspectives and first-hand experiences on Pacific health to ensure the issues and solutions are heard across the sector.' Jenny Ling is a senior journalist at the Northern Advocate. She has a special interest in covering human interest stories, along with finance, roading, and animal welfare issues.
