May 09, 2022
BDO counts on late starter
Three students have been chosen for this year’s BDO Sir Henare Ngata Scholarship for Māori accountants.
Joyana Tarawa, Taimus Ritai and Erutini Paringatai-Walker will each begin internships with the accounting firm this year.
They’ll also get $7,500 for study-related costs, registration for Ngā Kaitatau Māori o Aotearoa hui, and mentorship with BDO for their final year of study.
Māori makes up just 2 per cent of accountants in Aotearoa, and BDO hopes the scholarship will help to increase the number of Māori who choose a career in accounting.
Joyana Tarawa, who will take up her internship at BDO Christchurch, says her first career was as a trade, but when the Jacinda Ardern Government introduced a fee free first year at university she seized the opportunity to start a commerce degree.
Taimus Ritai from Taranaki says he’s learning to account because he wants to take that knowledge and experience back to his iwi.
Erutini Paringatai-Walker, who is working as an accounting trainee at BDO Gisborne while studying, says he’s connected by lineage to a lot of the clients and feels he’s giving back to the community.