Inspiring and supporting Pacific students to pursue careers in health

De La Salle College’s Health Science Academy—aimed at growing the Pacific health workforce by getting students interested in health careers—has seen some incredible results, with very high achievement in science subjects for participating students.

Funded by Health New Zealand, the Health Science Academy programme provides Pacific school students in Years 11-13 who are studying two or more science subjects with academic support, mentoring and tutorials. The programme ran in 13 high schools last year.

Ajinesh Kumar, Head of Science and Director of Health Science Academy for De La Salle College, says that the students know the academy is special, and that inspires and motivates them to take part.

“We do hospital visits, go into the labs, do real hands-on activities—it’s about letting them gather the best information and helping them decide what they want to do.

“Recently Dr Paul Baker, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon from Middlemore Hospital, was kind enough to come into school to talk to the boys about his journey, as part of exposing the students to different roles within health.”

The college holds early morning science tutorial sessions each week, which have a 90 per cent attendance rate.

“We know it’s a big ask, getting teenagers out of bed and into school early,” says Ajinesh. “But they just keep turning up—we’ve had such amazing buy-in from them. What really works is setting high expectations. We constantly demand excellence from the students, and we get the best out of them as a result.”

One of the most incredible things, says Ajinesh, is watching the career paths of the students who took part in the programme.

“The academy gives them that spark in the health science and medical fields from the early stages. They might want to be a doctor, or a nurse, or a physiotherapist, or to work within the health field but in a different, non-clinical discipline such as policy or communications. The academy exists to set them on the right path and provide the support they need to succeed.

“Last year, out of the 20 Year-13 students in the academy, six of them went to medical school at Otago University. The rest of the cohort are now studying at other universities and tertiary institutes around the country—the academy has set them up to achieve their dreams and aspirations by working hard.”

The passion and dedication of school principal Myles Hogarty, the science teachers, and the students and their families is what makes the academy such a success. De La Salle is in its 10^th year running the Health Science Academy, with past directors and science staff also having a significant role in the programme.

“The support of my colleagues has been tremendous,” says Ajinesh. “They give up their time to make sure our students do their best. And the students’ families get involved too in motivating their children to succeed. But it’s the students themselves and their commitment that’s the amazing thing about the academy—they’re excited to be involved, and they fulfil their potential, and that’s what it’s really about.”

About the Health Science Academy programme

Just over 4 per cent of the current health workforce in Aotearoa are people of Pacific descent, even though around 9 per cent of the population identify as Pacific.

Part of a series of initiatives aimed at growing a strong and thriving Pacific health workforce that reflects the diversity and needs of our Pacific communities, the Pacific Health Science Academy programme has been running in the Northern region since 2011. More than 1,200 Year-13 students have graduated from the programme in that time and in 13 high schools ran the programme in the 2023 academic year.   

Funded by Health New Zealand, the programme provides Pacific secondary school students in Years-11-13 who are studying at least two science subjects with academic support, mentoring and tutorials, as well as exposing them to the wide range of health-related careers available.  

The programme has been so successful that it is extending to Year-9-10 students from Term 3 this year in participating schools.