Applications open for 2025 Pacific Health Scholarship

Serving their communities and improving health outcomes are a focus for two recent Pacific Health Scholarship recipients.

After years of study, Faeamani Lokotui starts his career as a dentist in Masterton next year while for Dr Paea Leakehe the learning journey continues as she begins General Practitioner training.

For both, being awarded a Pacific Health Scholarship was instrumental in allowing them to focus on their studies and follow their dreams of a career in the health sector.

Applications for 2025 Pacific Health Scholarships open today. Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora has allocated $1.5 million in funding, with individual scholarships offering up to $10,000 toward medical and dentistry study and up to $5000 toward nursing, midwifery, allied health and other related health fields.

Scholarships are open to all New Zealand citizens and permanent residents of Pacific heritage studying health and disability related courses such as medicine, dentistry, nursing, midwifery, or an allied health profession.

“Growing the Pacific Health Workforce to better represent modern-day Aotearoa is key to delivering better health outcomes for Pacific communities,” says Markerita Poutasi, National Director Pacific Health.

“The scholarships create an important opportunity to support talented Pasifika into careers in health and disability fields.”

For Paea, who began her studies as a medical student in 2016, the scholarship was a financial blessing which paid for most of her tuition fees. A medical degree is expensive and I didn’t want to put that burden on my family. It was also about more than just the money for me. It allowed me to focus on learning and on the people I was serving, says Paea.

After graduating with her medical degree in 2020, Paea worked at Middlemore and Starship Hospitals before moving to Melbourne earlier this year to work across a variety of specialities.

In January, she will return to New Zealand to begin her GP training in Auckland while based at Etu Pasifika, Mt Wellington. 

Growing up, Paea says she was always interested in science and was passionate about helping her family and community.

“When I was young, I was in and out of hospital visiting family. I had a lot of family pass away early, including three uncles who died at 41 from preventable diseases. I wanted to be an advocate for my family.”

Paea says she gets huge satisfaction from working as a doctor and being able to help the community in a meaningful way. She sees her GP training as a positive way she can give back.

“I will be really focussed on preventative and holistic care and getting to understand my patients and their families. It is important to me that I can support and make a difference for our Māori and Pasifika people who are overrepresented in so many poor health statistics.”

For Faeamani (Mani), the relief of finishing his studies is still very real, and with exams done it is now a case of looking forward to starting work as a dentist with a private practice in Masterton.

While acknowledging the hard work and sacrifices made in completing his degree, Mani is grateful for the financial support the Pacific Health Scholarship gave him.

“While the scholarship helped with the student loan it also helped push me to finish so I can give back to the community and the health system,” says Mani.

Growing up in Tonga, there weren’t a lot of options for good oral health outcomes says Mani but now with his studies completed he can see the bigger picture and is looking forward to helping his family and community.

“It is a gift to be able to improve a patient’s oral health and change people’s smiles.”

Throughout his studies Mani was supported by his wife and three young children now aged 8, 6 and 18 months.

“It was a lot of work and sacrifice, but I am proud of my family for the support they have given me, they helped me through the tough years.” 

While studying, Faeamani was one of only a very small group of Pasifika dental students and he recognises the importance of having a Pacific voice in the oral health profession.

“For me as a dentist, I am looking forward to using my hand skills and to bringing science and artistry together to help change people’s lives.”

For more information on Pacific Health Scholarships and how to apply click here.

ENDS