Scholarships aimed at supporting Māori into careers in the health workforce –the Henry Rongomau Bennett Leadership in Māori Health scholarships – are now open for applications. The closing date is 20 January 2012.

The scholarships are selected by the Henry Rongomau Bennett Foundation, and managed by Te Rau Matatini, a national Māori health workforce development organisation. There were 59 of these scholarships allocated this year. Aims are to support excellence in health, competence in te ao Māori, and leadership in Māori health.

Henry Rongomau Bennett was a son of Bishop Frederick Augustus Bennett and his wife Arahia Rangioue, and a brother of Manu, Charles and John. He was born in 1918 and studied at Otago Medical School, served in the Medical Corps in WWII and became the first ever fully qualified Māori psychiatrist.

Undergraduate scholarships are worth $1,000 to $5,000 per year. Post-graduate scholarships are worth up to $10,000 per year.

For inquiries and application forms, visit www.matatini.co.nz, or call Keri Newman, 0800 MATATINI (628284) or 04-4739591 ext 815. E-mail scholarships@matatini.co.nz.

Background: Te Rau Matatini is an independent not-for-profit limited liability company based in Wellington. It is one of four health workforce development centres established by the Ministry of Health, but is the only one focussed on the Māori health workforce. Te Rau Matatini employs just over 45 FTEs. Its initial focus was mental health, but it has recently broadened its scope to include the wider health sector.

Contact: Communications Officer Hēni Collins, 04 4739591 ex 845 or 027 335 1535.