Whanganui local Jade Mills spent her formative years inspired by kapa haka – and now she wants to give back by studying towards a degree focusing on Māori health.
Mills, who is of Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi and Ngāti Rangi descent, received a University of Otago Māori and Pacific People's Entrance Scholarship valued at $10,000.
The first-year Health Sciences student says living and studying at Otago and relocating from Whanganui to Dunedin was an easy decision, but one her family struggled with.
"It's just my mum and I at home and my mum is studying as well, so neither of us are quite well off, so going to Otago was a huge financial stress for both of us.
"When I received the scholarship, it was like a weight had been lifted off the shoulders and it kind-of made me realise it was possible to go down and do what I had dreamed of doing."