Empowering Wāhine Māori Surgeons: Tania Te Whenua & Vision Research Foundation’s Initiative
October 14, 2023
Vision Research Foundation has received philanthropic funding to explore ways to enhance support for wāhine Māori to enter surgical careers. The Foundation will partner with Tania Te Whenua of Te Whenua Law and Consulting to scope present support available to wāhine Māori medical students and practitioners seeking to advance to surgical careers and identify any existent gaps. Ophthalmic Surgeon and Vision Research Foundation Scientific Director, Professor Helen Danesh-Meyer, says “Our overall aim is to work with key stakeholders to develop a proposal for initiatives and activities that can be undertaken to address gaps, for example by partnering with existing programmes to bolster support for wāhine Māori to advance to surgical careers or establishing new opportunities toward this end.”
Professor Helen Danesh-Meyer and Tania Te Whenua
The initiative is part of a series of work undertaken by the Foundation to support wāhine Māori to enter surgical careers, something which is close to the heart of Professor Danesh-Meyer, “Nurturing aspirations, fostering resilience, and sculpting a future for wāhine Māori to rise and thrive is a testament to VRF’s commitment to inclusivity and recognition of the role support can play in building surgical careers for women.”
Earlier this year, the Foundation established its first 10-week long summer studentship with support from Pūhoro STEMM Academy, June Gray Charitable Trust and Eye Institute. The studentship was awarded to Makayla Ripeka Kahu of Ngāti Kauwhata, who is a second-year medical student at the University of Auckland, a previous Pūhoro STEMM Academy scholarship recipient and a tutor lead at the Pūhoro STEMM Academy.
As part of the studentship, Makayla was able to get a taste for surgical practice by participating in clinics and observing eye surgeries at Eye Institute. Makayla also carried out a research project to consider what challenges, if any, are faced by Māori medical students in their studies, whether there is a need for additional support and if so, what shape that support could take. Makayla found that the majority of Māori students do experience barriers in their studies, and recommended that Māori medical students, and in particular wāhine Māori medical students, would be better equipped to thrive by additional support including in the early stages of their studies.
Makayla’s research has informed the work programme that the Foundation is currently undertaking with Tania Te Whenua.
If you are interested in Vision Research Foundation’s work to support wāhine Māori into surgical careers, contact us for more information.
Tania Te Whenua (Tuhoe, Whakatohea) has a BA in Maori Resource Management and LLB in Commercial Law. She is a passionate educator and practicing barrister and solicitor with specialist legal expertise in Waitangi Tribunal and Maori Commercial law.
Tania leads Te Whenua Law which specialises in providing affordable advice and advocacy to support Maori social and economic development. The practice covers a broad range of matters from Maori land and asset management to Waitangi Tribunal claims.