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'Flipping the script' - record number of PhD scholarships granted in Māori Cancer Researcher Awards

Chae Phillips' PhD focused on improving access to care and the experiences of wāhine Māori diagnosed with symptomatic breast cancer. Photo: supplied / Cancer Society Five people have been awarded scholarships to dive into and improve Māori health inequities. The Māori Cancer Researcher Awards - a partnership between Te Kāhui Matepukupuku o Aotearoa (the Cancer Society of New Zealand) and Hei Āhuru Mōwai Māori Cancer Leadership Aotearoa - have given scholarships to four PhD and a Master's candidate. The Gut Cancer Foundation of New Zealand are supporting two of the doctoral candidates. Chae Phillips (Ngāti Rongomaiwahine) is one of this year's recipients, focusing her PhD around improving access to care and the experiences of wāhine Māori diagnosed with symptomatic breast cancer in Waikato. "What really excites me is the ability to go into a space and come from a purely kaupapa Māori grounded perspective and look at things from that perspective, and then work with wāhine Māori to create solutions that come from us and work for us." "We know now that cancer isn't always a death sentence if we find things early, and there's so much more treatment than there was 10 to 15 years ago, and we can do better." Struck by the loss of her mum, who passed away from cancer when Phillips was eight, it has fueled her to work in the health space. "It's such a harrowing experience for an entire whanau. What I remember most, even after all this time, is just the lack of understanding about how we wanted to support her as a whānau - it was very exclusionary, we were very separate and not able to be a part of that journey in the way that we wanted to be. "As a child, I recognised that, so it's something that always stuck with me." Phillips works full time in Taakiri Tuu, the Wellness and Diagnostic Centre at Te Kōhao Health, and stays "up past midnight" to work on her PhD, which is named Te Hā o Hineahuone. "It's paying heed to the power of Hineahuone. It's paying heed to the power of mana wāhine. "When I'm sitting there at midnight on a Friday, I'm like, why did I do this? But the best outcome for me is this could be amazing for my sisters, for my aunties, for the people that I love and care about and that's what keeps me going more." Chae Phillips is doing her PhD through the University of Waikato. Photo: Supplied And she wants more Māori to plunge into researching Māori health. "It's academia, but there's that ability to stand proudly as Māori and go from there as your starting point, not what someone else says you have to be. "It also shines a light on different ways that we can look at doing things, for rangatahi as well, for the next generation coming up and going, now it's possible to create things that are completely different, and from us. Nadine Riwai, Jayde Ngata, Fran Munro, and Gemella Reynolds-Hatem (Master's) also received scholarships. Within the past four years there have been a total of eight recipients to receive the endowment. Hei Āhuru Mōwai tumuaki (chief executive) Gary Thompson said this year's recipients were making tangible strides to improve health inequities whānau Māori faced. "Looking to the future, what excites us about these initiatives is the potential for real, lasting change. We are seeing researchers lead the way in creating frameworks that are not only responsive but also proactive in fostering better engagement and health outcomes for Māori communities. "These scholars are taking meaningful steps that will benefit generations to come, and we're incredibly proud to support them." Cancer Society tumu whakarae (chief executive) Nicola Coom said it is exciting to see the research awards partnership grow and strengthen. "Aotearoa New Zealand is a small nation with immense potential, and collaboration is our superpower. We must drive equity in cancer care and ensure better outcomes for those impacted most - this growing rōpū of researchers are contributing to that goal." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.