Talofa lava, malo e lelei, kia orana, ni sa bula vinaka, fakaalofa lahi atu, halo olaketa, kam na mauri, taloha ni, kia ora koutou.

Le Va is committed to growing the Pacific health and disability workforce. Le Va aims to address current workforce shortages and enhance the quality and effectiveness of services for Pacific peoples. This will also help to improve Pacific peoples' access to services.

Le Va will administer the Pacific Health Workforce Awards funded by the Ministry of Health. Our work is aligned with the Government's priorities and contributes to the Ministry of Health’s ‘Serau’: Pacific Provider and Workforce Development Fund Programme of Action for 2009/10 to 2011/12.

The Awards are open to Pacific people in New Zealand who undertook a health-related course of study in 2009 or plan to in 2010. There are up to 120 Awards available, targeting the following workforce priority qualifications:

• medicine (all specialities)
• nursing
• oral health practitioners (dentistry, associated specialities, and all other qualification levels)
• midwifery
• allied health specialties of:
  • dieticians
  • podiatrists
  • speech language therapists
  • physiotherapists
  • occupational therapists
  • medical laboratory technicians.

There are up to 50 more awards available for other health-related courses of study. These include (but not limited to):

• the Pacific Health Provider workforce
• community health workers
• care and support workers in health
• health researchers
• health managers
• Allied Health professionals (not included in the workforce priority qualifications above).

Apply now for:
2009 Year of Study (reimbursement Awards). Closing date: 5 February 2010, or
2010 Year of Study. Closing date: 19 February 2010.

For further information visit: www.pacificawards.health.nz