Source: Te Pukenga
Te Pūkenga is playing a key role in unlocking the full potential of Pacific peoples for the health of Aotearoa New Zealand as part of Government’s Health Workforce Plan.
The plan includes scholarships for 220 Pasifika learners who are studying at tertiary-level towards health careers.
There is also a new alternative pathway for Pacific-trained nurses to registration in this country through a delivery arrangement between Te Pūkenga business divisions Whitireia and Manukau Institute of Technology.
“Growing and developing our Pacific health workforce is key to improving Pacific health outcomes in Aotearoa,” says Associate Health Minister Barbara Edmonds, who met with scholarship recipients at MIT Nursing School.
“We need to support a health workforce that reflects our diverse communities. Having more of our Pacific community in the health sector will improve our ability to address barriers to care, build stronger relationships with services and improve outcomes for our families,” Assoc Minister Edmonds says.
The plan also includes support for thirty-five ākonga to study towards Graduate Diploma in Nursing Pacific. The 18-month programme provides a pathway for Pacific-trained nurses to complete the training they need to become registered nurses in this country.
The qualification developed at Whitireia will be delivered by kaiako of that Te Pūkenga business division from the facilities of another, Manukau Institute of Technology’s School of Nursing in south Auckland.
The flexibly of a national network has opened up the opportunity for training through a mix of on-site, online and supported clinical experience provided close to the learners’ home community.
“We are looking forward to working in partnership with MIT who are hosting us,” says Tania Mullane of Whitireia Centre for Pacific Health & Social Practice.
“This type of partnership provision has been enabled by the establishment of Te Pūkenga which has allowed better collaboration between the subsidiaries to support initiatives which contribute positively to the Pacific nursing workforce.”
“Positioning this programme in the heart of South Auckland reflects the ongoing commitment MIT | Te Pūkenga has in partnering with our communities to grow the Pacific Nursing Workforce. We are excited to be a part of the programme that Whitireia is leading in our community,” says MIT School of Nursing head Assoc Prof Deborah Rowe.
The first intake of the graduate diploma delivered through this partnership begins this week.
