Maddie Mason

Te Ōhanga Mataora: Bachelor of Health Sciences Māori Nursing

I worked in community health for seven years before joining this degree programme to further my skills and knowledge, especially in indigenous healthcare. The programme reinforced a lot of my experience in terms of structure, policies and procedures. It also provided clinical skills and offered a unique focus on tikanga hau ora me tōna reo.

As soon as my State Final results came through, I began working as a new graduate Registered Nurse at Middlemore Hospital in Auckland. I’ve been working in Middlemore’s general surgical unit for a year now, and will soon begin the process of relocating back home, where I hope to gain further experience on the wards. My ultimate goal has always been to gain clinical experience then venture out into hau ora in my own community, focusing on preventative health measures.

We graduated from Awanuiārangi equipped not only with clinical skills but also with additional cultural competence and awareness. In my first year of nursing, I have seen how this sets Awanuiārangi graduates apart. That cultural component is the point of difference – it creates awareness of healthcare needs at a multi-cultural level and how best to care not only for our own people but for all people entering the healthcare system.

* Maddie Mason is a recipient of the Eastern Bay Primary Health Janet Maloney Scholarship.