Tahirah Moton | Seelye Kupe Leadership Scholar

Tahirah (Ngāti Maniapoto) 

Bachelor of Health Sciences (Honours)

New Zealand’s health sector is in desperate need of leadership. Without taking away from the influential people – both past and present – who have worked in this space, I believe that we undoubtedly need more leadership here. This is obvious when we look at the inequitable state of health in New Zealand. As it stands, the health system (and the other systems it is connected to) are inherently colonising spaces that create and exacerbate inequities for Maori and marginalised groups. By having more leaders who are truly committed to reducing this inequity, we could bring so much justice and transformational change to the health of this country. I aspire to become such a leader. I believe my intersecting identities of being Māori, being Muslim, being the daughter of an immigrant, and being care-experienced are strengths I will draw on that will allow me to work with nuance and compassion.

Sponsor: Ralph and Eve Seelye Trust 

Mentor: Tracey McIntosh, MNZM, Chief Science Advisor Ministry of Social Development, Professor of Indigenous Studies and Co-Head of Te Wānanga o Waipapa (School of Māori Studies and Pacific Studies at the University of Auckland