New degree just what the doc ordered

Te Whare Wananga o Awanuiarangi nursing programme co-ordinator Ngaira Harker said there was a need for more Maori nurses within the community. Photo / Supplied

A Maori nursing degree is set to be launched in the Eastern Bay next year.

Te Whare Wananga o Awanuiarangi has been accredited to deliver Te Ohanga Mataora Paetahi - Bachelor of Health Science Maori Nursing. The three-year degree programme will be launched on February 2 and will attract students seeking a career in nursing or health service delivery within Maori communities.

It has been accredited by the Nursing Council New Zealand and the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) for delivery in Whakatane.

Awanuiarangi nursing programme co-ordinator Ngaira Harker said the Bachelor of Health Science Maori Nursing would produce registered nurses who could engage and work effectively in Maori community and provider settings.

She said the nursing programme would support the Eastern Bay of Plenty by offering degree-level study for people in the community who wanted to enter the field of health.

"There is a need for more Maori nurses within this community and further afield - nurses who have knowledge of tikanga and can support the local community's needs. The District Health Board is keen to increase the number of health professionals who can deliver services within a kaupapa Maori framework. This degree will produce registered nurses with these essential skills, and will also provide a career pathway to the health professions and to post-graduate study."

Ms Harker said while a focus of the degree was improving Maori health outcomes, all who had a passion for Maori health and for working with the community were encouraged to enrol.

"We welcome all who share a passion for improving Maori health outcomes across all ethnicities and gender, the priority is a desire to embrace and be uplifted by a kaupapa Maori framework."

Te Whare Wananga o Awanuiarangi chief executive Distinguished Professor Hingangaroa Smith said the Bachelor of Health Science Maori Nursing further enhanced the range of educational offerings provided by Awanuiarangi to the learners of the region and Aotearoa.

"We are proud to be able to deliver the Bachelor of Health Science Maori Nursing from within the culturally-strong environment of the Wananga. The Maori nursing degree provides a specialist Maori nursing option to the people of our region and throughout the country," he said.

Ms Harker said she was grateful for the local Maori nursing community who had committed to supporting the programme with mentoring from senior nurses.

Applications are now open, call 0508 92 62 64.