March 26, 2024
Scholarships boosting Māori pharmacist numbers
Pharmac wants to see more Māori pharmacists.
In partnership with Ngā Kaitiaki o te Puna Rongoa o Aotearoa, the Māori Pharmacists Association, this year it’s funding three students studying towards a bachelor of pharmacy degree in 2023: Erana Smith (Ngāti Hine), Kerian Draper (Ngāti Raukawa) and Nicolas Workman (Ngāti Raukawa ki Wairarapa, Te Āti Awa).
The scholarships are named after Hiwinui Heke, who, in 1955, became the first Māori pharmacist.
Pharmac’s director, Māori Trevor Simpson, says Māori make up just 2 percent of the profession.
He says that since the scholarship was launched in 2008, there have been just over 45 recipients.
“On the back of the degree itself, we see a lot of the scholarship recipients go on to post-graduate studies, important Maori health research projects and also just giving back to their communities and medicine literacy, other things around medicines and health promotions. So it’s useful but for us, it’s about ensuring this relationship (with Nga Kaitiaki) is enduring,” Mr. Simpson says.