Kahungunu scholarship awarded to paediatrician Dr Te Aro Moxon

Kahungunu paediatrician Dr Te Aro Moxon. Photo / Supplied

Kahungunu paediatrician Dr Te Aro Moxon this year received one of three iwi research scholarships.

It is always a privilege for Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated to support our Kahungunu iwi members who pursue higher education.

Moxon also won a Commonwealth scholarship to support him in furthering his knowledge at Oxford University where he will study towards a masters of science in global health and epidemiology, focusing on infectious and non-infectious diseases among worldwide populations, and how these can be addressed.

He says studying abroad will give him a global perspective he can bring back to Aotearoa in his work in child health, his specialist area.

"Because I plan to be in Aotearoa working in paediatrics in the long term I thought to step outside and gain some knowledge from one of the top universities in the world was a good opportunity so I can learn from some of the global experts and work towards reducing health inequities, which is my real passion," he says.

Moxon is the son of Anglican Bishop Sir David Moxon, a former graduate of Oxford, and Māori health advocate Lady Tureiti Moxon.

He graduated from Auckland University in 2009 with a medicine degree and went on to specialise in paediatrics, which he completed this year.

He's now gone on to specialise in Māori children's health. Moxon admits that all of this training will never fill his kete (knowledge basket), and there will always be new things to learn.

"Ki te whaiao, ki te ao mārama: the continuous pursuit of excellence."

Moxon is also an alumni of Te Panekiretanga o Te Reo Māori, which is the highest level of the Māori language training. He is very proud of his Kahungunu whakapapa and cultural heritage and we are proud of him.

• Ruth Wong is Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Inc, communications.