Empowering future leaders: MIT’s mentor scheme aims to elevate Pacific students

An initiative at the Manukau Institute of Technology (MIT) is helping Pacific nursing students excel using an indigenous mentorship style.

The Tuākana-Tehina programme pairs top scoring students (tuākana) as mentors with newer nursing students (tehina) during their undergraduate studies, helping Pacific nursing students excel by incorporating a mentorship style that resonates with their cultural background.

Stephani Tiseli, acadamic lecturer and Year Two coordinator at MIT, founded and piloted the mentorship initiative last year with a cohort of 34 students.

"We only had one C, everyone else had Bs and As."

Of the 75,000 registered nurses in New Zealand, only 2500 (two per cent) are Pacific, highlighting a significant gap.

Tiseli says the initiative is an extension of the Tautua leadership programme, which also has a tuakana-teina system for Māori learners.

Saunima’a Josephine Sasa is a senior lecturer in MIT’s Bachelor of Nursing Pacific programme and pioneered the Tautua programme to support academic performance and equip students with workplace skills.

“By raising the expectation of the academic levels, we'll see nurses who come out of the programme who are clinically and culturally competent and who are able to meet the needs of our Pasifika people because we know that our Pasifika people are high users of our health services.”

Speaking to John Pulu on PMN Tonga, Saunima’a says their efforts are rooted in the Sāmoan proverb: 'O le ala i le pule o le tautua', which states that the pathway to leadership is through service.

"One of the reasons why many of our students choose nursing is to serve and help the community.

“By having this programme in place to support the student journey, they're well prepared and work-ready, fit for purpose to work as registered nurses here in New Zealand and the Pacific.”

Crucial skills in society

Only two Bachelor of Nursing Pacific programmes are offered in New Zealand - at Whitireia and MIT.

Tiseli says Pacific nurses also play an important role in their communities.

“All our families and our aiga and our kāinga need someone in the family who can give them the proper medical advice and help them seek appropriate help.”

Tiseli specialises in gerontology, the study of aging and older adults, and recognises the urgent need for more Pacific nurses.

"In 2023, only 60 Pacific nurses graduated from the Nursing Council, compared to 46 in 2024. That’s why this programme is essential to help students remain in the programme and strengthen the workforce."

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Breaking gender stereotypes

The initiative also addresses cultural stereotypes of nursing, particularly among Pacific men.

"It's very common in our Pacific culture to see nursing as a female job," Tiseli says.

"But what's great is the new generation is slowly seeing this as an opportunity. There are many successful Pacific male nurses now in leadership roles."

Saunima’a agrees, noting an increase in male students joining the programme, particularly from schools like De La Salle, Manurewa High, and James Cook.

"Some of these students might have considered rugby, but instead, they’ve chosen nursing as a sustainable career and a way to serve their communities."

Tiseli encourages those considering a nursing career to take the leap.

"Nursing is not for the faint of heart, so if you feel like this is your God-given purpose, go ahead, come in and enrol into the programme and see what we're about.”

This article has been updated to clarify the different programmes: Tautua, Tuakana-Teina and Tuākana-Tehina.