Shauna Power has been named the 2024 recipient of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu and Whānau Āwhina Plunket’s Mere Harper and Ria Tikini Memorial Scholarship.
From an early age, the second-year nursing student at NorthTec Whangārei knew she wanted to be a nurse.
‘As a Māori nurse I hope to be in a position to improve health outcomes for Māori to thrive now and for generations to come.’
“Over the years my Poppy [grandfather] has been in and out of hospital. I’ve seen him receive the very best care but also there were times when he could have been treated better. That’s why I’ve chosen nursing.
“As a Māori nurse I hope to be in a position to improve health outcomes for Māori to thrive now and for generations to come.”
‘Protecting whānau’ the aim
The scholarship recognises the work of two highly respected Māori midwives and healers from Karitāne – Mere Harper and Ria Tikini – who were instrumental in starting Plunket.
“It is such a privilege to receive this award commemorating these two wāhine toa. It means so much to have the financial support contributing to my nursing fees too, I’m truly grateful.”
Power has the strong backing of her South Island iwi who are also passionate about lifting the number of nurses from their tribe, says Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu general manager of oranga, Trevor McGlinchey.
“Improving and protecting the oranga of our whānau is one of our prime concerns as an iwi and supporting more students of Ngāi Tahu descent to enter the health workforce is one of a variety of positive actions we are taking to assist with this goal,” says McGlinchey.
Power also has the support of Whānau Āwhina Plunket, Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest health and wellbeing support service for about 290,000 tamariki under five years of age.
“This scholarship is an opportunity to celebrate our incredibly special history, while also helping to equip the next generation of Māori nurses with the skills, tools and knowledge to support those who need it most,” says Fiona Kingsford, chief executive of Whānau Āwhina Plunket.
The annual scholarship provides financial support of $3000 to a full-time nursing student who is of Ngāi Tahu descent.