Southern Cross scholarships for nursing students
WITT nursing student Pravina Roberts navigates being a mum of eight with full-time study, leveraging her own academic ambitions to encourage her children to achieve at school. She is among the first six Bachelor of Nursing ākonga at WITT to receive a scholarship from Southern Cross Health Trust’s S1 million commitment to supporting nursing students.
The trust’s Nursing Scholarship Programme was established with Auckland University of Technology (AUT), awarding 17 scholarships in 2025. Now in its second year, the programme has expanded more than threefold, offering 56 scholarships across six tertiary nursing providers in 2026, WITT included. Pravina and five other nursing students (two each from years one, two and three of the Bachelor of Nursing programme) celebrated the scholarship announcement with local Southern Cross leaders at the hospital recently.
Recipients receive a $500 weekly stipend while on clinical placement, a $5,000 annual contribution towards course fees (covering just over half the full fee) and $500 per year for general health and wellbeing. They also receive mentorship opportunities from Southern Cross Healthcare and the cost of the Nursing Council of New Zealand state exam, taken to become registered nurses, is covered in their final year.
In addition, a $300 nursing uniform and footwear voucher for clinical placement is provided to all first-year nursing students (approximately 1,500) at the six nursing schools - a contribution valued at $450,000.
Family and community wellbeing key motivator for nurses
Pravina, 37, a first-year student, says family is at the heart of who she is and motivation behind everything she strives for. She chose nursing as it aligns with the life she wants to live – one of service, compassion and meaningful contribution.
“I want to be a positive role model to my children and to show them that learning doesn’t stop, that hard things are possible and that even in challenging seasons, growth and purpose can still be pursued,” she says.
She feels driven to improve the wellbeing of Māori and Pasifika families. Her knowledge of social and economic inequities reflected in health stats of Māori and Pasifika communities was brought into focus through her studies, which looks at the impact of colonization on intergenerational health outcomes. The scholarship will help her focus on her studies whilst raising her children, aged from four to 17 years, she says.
Zahrah Amalia, also in her first year, chose nursing as she’s always wanted to help, support and care for others. In her teenage years she moved to New Zealand from Jakarta, Indonesia, to live with her family in New Plymouth.
She says she feels “so grateful” to be selected as a scholarship recipient to ease the financial burden of study.
Zahrah (like Pravina) will receive the scholarship for this year and the next two years of her degree. She aims to do post-graduate study with the idea of becoming a Medical Imaging Technologist.
Family and community wellbeing key motivator for nurses
Pravina, 37, a first-year student, says family is at the heart of who she is and motivation behind everything she strives for. She chose nursing as it aligns with the life she wants to live – one of service, compassion and meaningful contribution.
“I want to be a positive role model to my children and to show them that learning doesn’t stop, that hard things are possible and that even in challenging seasons, growth and purpose can still be pursued,” she says.
She feels driven to improve the wellbeing of Māori and Pasifika families. Her knowledge of social and economic inequities reflected in health stats of Māori and Pasifika communities was brought into focus through her studies, which looks at the impact of colonization on intergenerational health outcomes. The scholarship will help her focus on her studies whilst raising her children, aged from four to 17 years, she says.
Zahrah Amalia, also in her first year, chose nursing as she’s always wanted to help, support and care for others. In her teenage years she moved to New Zealand from Jakarta, Indonesia, to live with her family in New Plymouth.
She says she feels “so grateful” to be selected as a scholarship recipient to ease the financial burden of study.
Zahrah (like Pravina) will receive the scholarship for this year and the next two years of her degree. She aims to do post-graduate study with the idea of becoming a Medical Imaging Technologist.
Cultural values pivotal to health care
Mena Raven,18, a second-year Māori nursing student, is well acquainted with hospitals after frequent admissions as a child with bronchiectasis, a chronic lung condition.
She says she valued the care the nurses gave her, and it was a powerful motivator in her choosing to study nursing. She’s seen first-hand the outcome of poor Māori health when caring for her nan, which has strengthened her commitment to becoming part of the solution.
“The support this scholarship provides has lifted a massive pressure from my shoulders,” Mena says. Her personal health journey, coupled with her passion and desire to help others, has been a powerful motivator to pursuing a career in nursing.
She feels the support this scholarship provides “will be life changing” - not only financially, but also through clinical placements and mentorship opportunities. “My whānau are overwhelmed with gratitude for the holistic support this scholarship offers and the opportunities it will create for my future.”
“I see myself working within my community and hope to be an integral part of improving Māori health outcomes and addressing health inequities. I want to help people and their whānau feel empowered to be proactive in their own health journeys.”
Pravina, Zahrah and Mena say the desire to care for whānau and community through becoming nurses reflects their respective Samoan, Indonesian and Māori cultural values.
Jacinda Page, Southern Cross Health Trust General Manager, says “This expansion [of the scholarship programme] represents a significant milestone for the Trust, and shows the programme’s momentum and impact.”
“The cost of study and clinical placements can be a major barrier for prospective nurses. By providing practical financial and clinical support, we can help support more student nurses through to graduation.”
Chris White, Southern Cross Health Trust and Southern Cross Healthcare CEO, says the Nursing Scholarship Programme’s reach reflects a long-term commitment to healthcare workforce development.
“By increasing the number of scholarships and partnering across regions where we have a hospital presence, we are supporting New Zealand’s future nursing workforce and the health of our communities.”
Caption: (from left) Nursing students Pravina Roberts, Trinity Cuthbert, Mena Raven, Lee McManus (Southern Cross), Zahrah Amalia, Allie Quinn and Rebekah Davis.