ProCare, a leading healthcare provider, has today announced the recipients of the ProCare Annual Prize in General Practice scholarships for the 2022 calendar year, in partnership with the University of Auckland, as Hannah Corban (Ngāpuhi) and Kun-ka Miha Yoshihara-Leger, of Pacific descendants from Tonga and Kiribati as well as Japanese lineage.

These scholarships, worth $2,000 each, are awarded annually to the top-achieving Māori and Pacific student respectively in the General Practice attachment of the University’s Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB).

Bindi Norwell, Group Chief Executive at ProCare, says: “We are thrilled to support the next generation of healthcare professionals through our General Practice scholarships.

“These awards recognise Hannah and Kun-ka’s hard work and dedication to their studies. We look forward to seeing what the future holds for them,” Norwell concludes.

Mihi Blair, Kaiwhakahaere Hauora Māori, Mana Taurite (GM of Māori Health and Equity), at ProCare says: “Continuing to acknowledge our top young Māori and Pacific students, and helping to support their pathway to becoming medical professionals through this award, is a meaningful contribution to ensuring that Māori and Pacific continue to be represented in the medical field.”

Scholarship recipient, Hannah Corban says: “I am very grateful and humbled to be awarded this prize, and plan to put the money towards my elective which will be later in the year in Tanzania.

“I see myself going into General Practice. I am passionate about health prevention and supporting patients to make healthy choices today that will lead them to a better tomorrow,” Corban concludes.

Fellow scholarship recipient, Kun-ka Miha Yoshihara-Leger says: “My intentions for my future career are to work from within rural communities, build long-term connections, and empower individuals to navigate their health journey with dignity and respect.

“Currently, potential specialties that could align with these goals and my personal strengths are paediatrics, psychiatry, general practice, and/or rural hospital medicine,” Yoshihara-Leger concludes.

This award was established in 2003 and is a significant academic accolade. The prize is intended to foster interest in General Practice medicine as a career path for Māori and Pacific students.

From L-R: Kun-ka Miha Yoshihara-Leger and Hannah Corban