Rural health scholarships expand to support more students
Mobile Health Group (MHG), in collaboration with Hauora Taiwhenua Rural Health Network (HTRHN), is proud to announce fourteen rural health scholarships for 2025, a significant increase from the usual four. These scholarships are aimed at first-year students from rural communities who are planning to study healthcare at a New Zealand university or tertiary institution.
Mark Eager, Chief Executive of MHG and a board member of HTRHN, says the scholarships are about breaking down barriers for rural students.
“We want to lessen the load and contribute to reducing inequities for our young people living rurally. There are several challenges that make studying in bigger cities tough. We’re thrilled to be able to help in a meaningful way if it means supporting these students to thrive.”
Mark sees the scholarships as a long-term investment in the rural health workforce.
“If we can help our young rural people now, we’re more likely to see them return in the future as healthcare professionals serving in the very communities they come from. The need for medical and health support in rural areas is real. These future students are key to that.”
Hauora Taiwhenua plays a vital role in promoting the scholarships directly in rural schools. The Rural Health Careers Promotion Programme sees tertiary health students travel to rural schools to share their study journeys and career insights to help students see how broad and impactful a career in healthcare can be.
Dr Grant Davidson, Chief Executive of HTRHN says, “The programme is the first step-in getting rangatahi from rural areas interested in a healthcare career, showing that they’re not limited to achieving health careers.”
He adds, “We take real-life tertiary students with us on our national tours to make it as realistic for secondary school students as possible. We want to show rural students that they belong in these places too. There are bridging courses available if they didn’t take all the required subjects for university entrance or degrees. In our presentations we talk about the Rural Health Scholarships and how impactful some financial assistance can be, especially when these students are packing up everything from their rural homes and starting from scratch in these new places.”
This year’s boost in scholarship numbers was made possible thanks to a generous donation from The Combined Community Trusts. As interest continues to grow, MHG and HTRHN are warmly inviting businesses and organisations to contribute to the 2026 scholarships and help make a lasting impact for rural health.
“This is a real opportunity to support the next generation of rural health professionals. If you or your organisation would like to be a part of that, we’d love to hear from you,” says Mark.