At least 80 new scholarships will be awarded annually, to enhance the capacity and capability of the addiction and gambling harm workforce. Successful applicants will receive tailored support in the form of financial assistance, cultural support, mentoring and career planning.
Toleafoa Mark Esekielu
Le Va’s Senior Manager for Mental Health and Addiction, Toleafoa Mark Esekielu, said, “Over the last 15 years, we have seen the growing need for addictions and problem gambling support in our communities. Le Va is excited to partner with Te Whatu Ora to support the workforce with scholarships that will make a real difference in outcomes over the coming years.”
While all students committed to working in the AoD and gambling harm fields will be eligible, particular focus will be on priority groups including Māori, Pacific, Asian, youth, rainbow and lived experience communities, as well as the whānau of those affected by these issues.
Le Va, a Pacific primary prevention organisation, has a long history of partnership with Te Whatu Ora, successfully administering the Futures that Work Pasifika mental health and addiction scholarship since 2009.
By addressing workforce shortages and promoting equitable representation, the programme has the potential to contribute to the growth and skills of the AoD and gambling harm workforce, ultimately improving the quality and accessibility of mental health and addiction services in Aotearoa.
Opening dates for the first round of applications will be announced later this year.
The award recognised Le Va’s achievements in developing and supporting the Pasifika mental health and addiction workforce with its Te Whatu Ora funded Futures that Work scholarship programme.
Since 2009, Futures that Work has been life-changing for more than 700 Pasifika students who have gone on to work in a wide range of careers supporting the mental wellbeing and improving health outcomes of our Pasifika communities.
The scholarships go beyond financial support, offering students mentoring and pastoral care, as well as tools to help them reach their study goals.
Le Va Senior Manager for Disability and Public Health, Ben Tameifuna, acknowledged the other nominees in his acceptance speech, saying, “We are honoured to walk alongside you in celebrating the work we all do to create a more inclusive society in Aotearoa.
“Receiving the Impact Award tonight is such an honour and will inspire us to continue this important mahi to ensure our communities get the best possible outcomes.”
Diversity Awards NZ is the most significant awards programme in Aotearoa New Zealand to celebrate excellence in workplace diversity, equity and inclusion.
The awards showcase organisations like Le Va who put people at their heart. The Impact Award goes to a private or non-profit organisation that intentionally works towards building a more equitable workplace and a more inclusive society.
Massive thanks and appreciation for everything Le Va has done to support me to achieve something for my family and for the Pacific community. – Dwaine Faletanoai
More than 360 guests came together to honour the scholarship recipients and to help Le Va celebrate its 15-year anniversary as an organisation. Le Va is the arm of the Wise Group dedicated to meeting the wellbeing needs of Pacific communities.
In attendance were guests of honour Deputy Prime Minister Hon Carmel Sepuloni and Hon Marama Davidson, with keynote speakers Reverend Uesifili Unasa, Hon Barbara Edmonds and Fuimaono Karl Pulotu-Endemann.
165 students were awarded Le Va’s Futures that Work scholarships for the Pasifika mental health and addiction workforce in Aotearoa, funded by Te Whatu Ora.
Dwaine Faletanoai, a mental health and addiction manager at Te Whatu Ora
Dwaine Faletanoai, a mental health and addiction manager at Te Whatu Ora, said of the scholarships, “I’ve been blessed to receive six or seven now. They’ve basically funded my whole postgrad study. I’m from a small family – just me, my Mum and my sister. We were state home dwellers growing up, but education was important.
Massive thanks and appreciation for everything Le Va has done to support me to achieve something for my family and for the Pacific community. It’s been a long study journey – a lot of challenges, a lot of joys, a lot of close to tears moments.”
Since 2009, Le Va has administered this important investment into the careers of the psychologists, counsellors, social workers, nurses and other practitioners who will help improve health outcomes for Pacific people.
Successful applicants receive mentorship and pastoral care alongside the financial support, as well as tools to help them complete their studies and achieve their goals.
Denise Kingi-‘Ulu’ave, Chief Executive of Le Va, said to the students, “Education is the key that unlocks a world of opportunities. By completing your studies, you equip yourself with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to pursue your dreams.
Embrace the joy of learning, for it broadens your horizons and empowers you to make a positive impact. Your education is an investment in yourself that will open doors, inspire others, and lead you to a fulfilling and successful life of service.”
“Oh man, it was such a relief,” says Tu’uta Maue of the moment he received confirmation he had been awarded a Futures that Work scholarship,
“Telling my wife, sharing the news with my family, I was so over the moon,” says Tu’uta, who is of Tongan descent from the villages of Tokomololo and ‘Ofu, Vavau. Tu’uta also has lineage back to the village of Fasitootai in Samoa. “I have family responsibilities, a mortgage, young kids… knowing I would receive financial help – that alleviated a lot of stress. It really impacted positively on my family.”
Tu’uta is in his second year of a Bachelor of Nursing Studies at the Manukau Institute of Technology (MIT), funded in part by the Le Va Futures that Work scholarship and mentoring programme. A dedicated family man, Tu’uta is studying – and working – full-time. “This journey isn’t an individual one, it’s been a real collective journey for me and my family,” Tu’uta says.
A space in which to give back
It was family that inspired Tu’uta to choose a career dedicated to helping Pasifika people. When he was called to support his father through ill health, Tu’uta felt passionately about giving back to his community.
Building on more than a decade of experience working at the Mason Clinic, a dedicated service in Tamaki Makaurau providing Forensic Mental Health Services, Tu’uta enrolled at MIT. And the insight he has gained into the health sector to date, has reinforced Tu’uta’s desire to support Pasifika mental health and addiction.
“Forensic mental health is the one for me,” Tu’uta says. “It’s my bread and butter, it’s what I’ve been gifted with. Helping people and families.”
Mentoring makes a difference
Tu’uta may have found his calling, but he’s still a minority in forensic mental health services, something he hopes will change in the coming years. “Community services have a lot more of our people, but in forensic mental health, there is still a real need for Pasifika in this space,” he says.
Tu’uta has been supported through his studies, not just by his family, work colleagues and his manager, but by the Le Va team and the Futures that Work mentoring programme. Monthly mentoring workshops enabled Tu’uta to interact with other Futures that Work programme recipients, sharing experiences and cultural narratives he’s able to take back to his own community.
“A lot of good stuff comes out of the networking opportunities that Le Va provides,” Tu’uta says. “There have been topics we’ve discussed that have really stayed with me. I’ve taken them to work in the evenings and shared them with my colleagues. It’s a really encouraging environment, being exposed to people who are all seeking higher learning.
“And it’s awesome to see that even though Pasifika are a minority, one day some of those people that were in the same room I am, will be out there making a real difference,” he says.
The benefit of knowledge and education
Having experienced the benefits of Le Va’s Futures that Work programme, Tu’uta is quick to encourage others to spend the time going through the application.
“If someone is thinking of applying, I’d first say to them, don’t be shy or feel ashamed about actively seeking the financial assistance that is on offer.”
“And secondly, if they’re stuck on that thought, I’d ask them, why wouldn’t you apply? There’s no harm in trying. If it’s on offer and you’re successful, you’ll be grateful for it, and so many people will benefit from your application.”
Tu’uta retells the story of a friend he encouraged to apply to the programme. “I kept telling the old mate to apply. We’d be kicking him up the backside saying he just had to do it. And when he heard he’d been successful in getting on the programme, man there were some tears.”
“Through knowledge and education we’re better equipped to deal with and educate our people. Sit down for 30minutes and complete that application form. Do it for your family, your community, your church… do it for our people.”
Applications for the 2022 Le Va Futures that Work scholarship and mentoring programme are now open. Apply at https://www.leva.co.nz/scholarships-funding/futures-that-work-scholarship/
Laura Tongalea Nolan has a simple message for Pasifika considering study in the Mental Health and Addiction space. “Get on that scholarship train,” she says. To be more precise, Le Va’s Futures that Work scholarship and mentoring programme.
A five-time recipient of Le Va’s funding and mentoring support, Laura has experienced first-hand the number of benefits the programme provides. Today, as she continues her study towards a Master of Health Practice, Laura is living and working her dream.
“From the outset my dream was to work where I could service Pasifika people,” the Pasifika Clinical Practice Lead for Odyssey Trust says. “And when I first applied for Le Va’s Futures that Work programme, the application process really prompted me to think about what I wanted to do with my career.”
A pathway for Pasifika support
Laura came across the Futures that Work scholarship in 2014. “I was looking at doing further study, but didn’t want to take out a student loan,” she recalls. “When I found the Futures that Work scholarship, I put an application together and was successful.”
At the time of her first application, Laura reflects on being young and new to the workforce, which made completing parts of the application challenging. However, that challenge proved to be a formative experience in Laura’s career.
“The application asked ‘what am I contributing to the community and how will my studies enhance those contributions’,” Laura says. “That question really prompted me to think about what I wanted to do with my career, and the answer I gave on the first application has guided me on my pathway during my studies and in my work. I’ve stayed true to that direction.”
Pasifika presence helps with programme success
Today, in her role at Odyssey Trust, a drug and alcohol residency and community services provider, Laura develops and implements interventions and programmes for Pasifika clients. “Pacific people are over-represented in mental health and addiction-related problems,” she says. “Only about 10% of Pacific people struggling with mental health and addiction make it into treatment, and of those, only about one third are completing it.”
Laura says the more Pasifika people who work in mental health and addiction, the more success programmes will have. “We’ve got to add to the masses,” Laura says. “If there’s more of us working in mental health and addictions, we have more of a presence. We’re more visible. If families can see we’re there, they’re more likely to come through our door.
“Being able to practise as a Pacific clinician or practitioner leads to better outcomes for Pacific clients. It’s the single greatest predictor for a successful outcome.”
Contributing to mental health and addiction support
Le Va’s Futures that Work programme is helping to build the Pasifika addiction workforce and Laura says there’s a real need for it. “There is no better way to engage with Pacific people than being able to identify as Pasifika,” says Laura. “We’re natural engagers and in mental health and addiction, success lies in being able to engage with people.”
Laura encourages others with a discipline in the health sector, such as nursing or social work, to consider further study in the area of mental health and addiction. It’s such a rewarding and fulfilling area of work.”
And when it comes to applying for the Futures that Work programme, Laura’s advice is to keep it simple. “What are you doing within your own family? What are you doing to contribute to the wellbeing of your church group?”
“You’ll soon realise you do a lot. We just don’t tend to call it volunteering because it comes naturally to us and we get a lot out of it,” she says. “That’s why Pasifika are so good at working in the mental health and addiction space. So, jump on that scholarship train and go for it. Our people need you to take a seat at the table.”
Applications for the 2022 Le Va Futures that Work scholarship and mentoring programme are now open. Apply at https://www.leva.co.nz/training-education/scholarships/
O le ala i le pule o le tautua – the pathway to leadership is through service
The Le Va Futures that Work Awards are an investment, not only in each individual, but also in the future of our country, Aotearoa New Zealand.
2021 marks the 13th year the Ministry of Health, through Le Va, has funded and supported the development of our Pasifika mental health and addiction workforce in Aotearoa New Zealand. To-date we have provided 765 awards to 583 of our Pasifika people.
When we first started out with Futures that Work we awarded only 30 recipients. 2021 we are honoured to award 133 recipients. For a minority people in Aotearoa that is a huge achievement for our Pasifika mental health and addiction workforce. We know that our people still have a way to go with improving our health outcomes. However, we know having Pasifika in our mental health and addiction people in the services as nurses, social workers, occupational therapists, clinical psychologists and doctors makes a big difference.
These awards also recognise that each recipient has the potential to feature among the best and to be leaders in the mental health and addiction sector. New Zealand and Pasifika communities need high calibre professionals working in the mental health and addiction sectors. Here at Le Va we believe that our families, communities and New Zealand deserve nothing less than the best. The 2021 recipients represent our journey, as a people, towards better outcomes in the mental health and addictions sector.
We believe that the acknowledgement of Pacific cultures plays an important part in addressing health issues for Pasifika. It is good to see that Pasifika cultural aspects are being incorporated more into health services. This approach is reflected in the Awards Pacific programme, which supports each recipient during their studies.
It is always an honour for Le Va to address a gathering of Pasifika from our many different cultures that are achieving in their field of endeavour. Our hope of the Futures that Work awards are to celebrate and treat our recipients as the heroes they are.
We also want to acknowledge this year’s award winners for their commitment in answering the call to serve their communities and to help ease the health burdens facing Pasifika in Aotearoa New Zealand. Just as important we must congratulate the Ministry of Health for investing in Pasifika and for entrusting Le Va with this important workforce development work.
Le Va’s Futures That Work scholarships has funded 632 Pasifika students with their tertiary studies.
The purpose of the Futures That Work Scholarships is to increase the capacity and capability of the Pasifika mental health and addiction workforce through supported upskilling, to successful and timely completion rates of qualifications, accompanied by a mentoring component.
The Futures That Work Scholarship is made up of three phases:
• Get your fees paid – up to 100 per cent of health course fees are paid to the recipient’s tertiary provider and/or contributed to their student loan.
• Get your study sorted – pastoral care, cultural support, educational support, spiritual and peer support are offered.
• Get your dream job – career planning, and connection with employers is offered.
Le Va recognises that it is more than just giving out study scholarships, but more about supporting recipients to successfully complete and do well in their studies, but also providing mentoring support, and advice on how to get the right job that, in turn, will benefit our Pasifika communities. To celebrate the success of our recipients, Le Va hosts an annual Futures That Work scholarship awards dinner. This is an opportunity to highlight the success of our award Pasifika recipients alongside their families and supports from within the community. For our 2020 recipients, Le Va is working toward viable options to host this event once again, ensuring our families and communities remain safe during COVID-19. Congratulations to all our award recipients and the contribution you all make, enabling our Pasifika communities to flourish.
Le Va is part of the Wise Group. Copyright ©2025
