Scholarship for spirited teen

HARD WORK PAYS OFF: Whangarei Girls' High School deputy head girl, Kanewa Harrison, has earned a University of Auckland scholarship for Maori students. PHOTO/MICHAEL CUNNINGHAM

A Whangarei Girls' High School student is "thrilled" after being awarded a top scholarship to the University of Auckland.

Kanewa Harrison, 17, deputy head girl at WGHS, has been granted the University of Auckland Chancellor's Award for Top Maori and Pacific Scholars, which will cover three years of tuition fees and her first year of university accommodation, totalling upwards of $25,000.

The award is set up to "recognise and reward the academic achievement, cultural participation, all-round ability, and leadership potential of Maori and Pacific students from New Zealand secondary schools." Miss Harrison, who will be studying a Bachelor of Health Sciences, applied for the scholarship after being encouraged by her whanau.

"I heard about it through my mum and have some friends who have won it in previous years. My parents encouraged me to apply, they've always been huge supporters of everything I do."

Miss Harrison said discovering she had been awarded the scholarship happened "unexpectedly" while she was online shopping.

"I opened my email and there was one that read 'University of Auckland Scholarship'. I was shivering and shaking. I read 'we are delighted' and screamed, my dad thought I was crazy."

During her final year of high school, Miss Harrison has been involved in a range of academic, cultural and leadership roles.

Along with being deputy head girl, she won the Senior English section of Nga Manu Korero Regional Speech Competition, leading her to the nationals where she placed fourth.

Miss Harrison said, while at university, she would like to focus on Hauora Maori (Maori Health), something she is "extremely passionate" about.

"Growing up I always wanted to be a doctor because of the pay. As I got older it became more about wanting to help people in my community. One of my biggest idols is Sir Mason Durie. The contributions he's made to Maori health are amazing, I want to be like that," she said.

Miss Harrison, who is of Te Aupouri descent, said growing up in Northland, seeing the inequalities in Maori health is something that inspired her pathway to study health.

"The way I see it, without sounding arrogant, is that before colonisation, Maori were healthy mentally, spiritually and physically, and we need to recognise this and be aware that we can be that way again."

She is proud of her culture and has plans to also look at indigenous studies while she's at university.

"That's one of my biggest passions. When I finish university I'd like to use my knowledge on both these things [health and indigenous issues] to come home and help my community."

She will begin her study next year.