Students honoured by scholarships

James Enright has received a welcome cash boost to support his academic efforts.

Two young Maori men from Northland have been awarded prestigious scholarships in honour of the 28th Maori Battalion - with one looking at sustainable management of seafood and the other investigating Maori health inequalities.

Te Rerekohu Tuterangiwhiu, 25, and James Enright, 21, are two of five winners out of 86 applicants to receive the scholarships.

Mr Tuterangiwhiu, who is of Ngapuhi, Taranaki, Ngati Ranginui and Tainui descent, is in his final year of completing a Masters of Applied Sciences at Auckland University of Technology and has been awarded one of the Masters Scholarships worth $15,000 per year for up to two years.

Te Rerekohu Tuterangiwhiu

A keen diver who grew up in Russell and Moerewa, Mr Tuterangiwhiu said he wanted to find a a way to turn his passion for the sea into a job.

"When I was 15 my dad chucked me on a dive course up in Paihia and from there I kind of got hooked on diving and the passion for marine life and for protecting what we have up north kind of took hold there."

Mr Tuterangiwhiu said while diving he noticed the abundance of kaimoana was slowly disappearing.

"When I started diving myself, particularly with scallops and stuff it was quite apparent to see that decrease of scallops and scallop beds."

Mr Tuterangiwhiu's studies look at sustainable management of seafood and his research focuses on native paua stocks.

He said he was looking at the appropriate feeding rations for paua in farming environments and researching their growth.

"Paua grow at a slow rate. It takes paua four to six years to get from being spawned to legal size and so that seems to be a problem because anytime people see a paua they'll just grab it."

Mr Tuterangiwhiu said he wanted to use his research to create iwi- and hapu-based ventures in the aquaculture industry such as farms and nurseries.

Mr Enright, who is of Ngapuhi and Ngati Ruanuia descent, also hoped to use his studies to help his whanau, iwi, hapu and culture.

The Bachelor of Medicine and a Bachelor of Surgery student at the University of Auckland was awarded one of the Undergraduate Scholarships worth $10,000 per year for up to three years, he also hoped to contribute to his culture after his studies were finished.

"Consistently, Maori health statistics are poorer than Pakeha and that's not only in mortality and things like cancer and diabetes, but also in terms of the amount of needs that are being met."

Mr Enright, whose whanau is from Kaikohe, said having whanau with health problems and seeing the inequalities between Maori and non-Maori during his hospital placements had motivated him to create change.

"I have seen the amount of Maori patients on dialysis, in GP waiting rooms and in hospital beds," he said.

"I would like to be of service to others. Health is a fundamental human right and by being a doctor I am in a position to assist others with enhancing their wellbeing."

Both students said they were grateful for the scholarships and the help they would provide during their studies.