Pacific Community Engagement, University of Otago

10/10/2026

10/10/2026

Professionals from Pacific can apply here for upcoming Manaaki New Zealand Scholarships. Access short-term training in NZ to strengthen skills and support development.

09/10/2026

We remember Emeritus Professor Colin Mantell ONZM (Ngāi Tahu), founding chair of the University’s Māori and Pacific Admissions Scheme (MAPAS). His vision helped open doors for generations of Māori and Pacific students in health.

Colin was an internationally recognised academic, a distinguished clinician, researcher and champion of Māori and Pacific health. Colin devoted more than six decades to medicine and academia.

“Generations of students have walked through doors that Colin helped open. His legacy lives in us, in the communities we serve and in the continuing work of MAPAS. We owe him an enormous debt of gratitude,” says Professor Papaarangi Reid, Tumuaki of Te Kupenga Hauora Māori

“Colin brought together an extraordinary combination of clinical expertise, academic leadership and a commitment to Māori and Pacific health. He understood that inequities in health could not be addressed without changing the institutions and systems that shaped people’s opportunities,” says Professor Matire Harwood, Deputy Dean of Medical and Health Sciences.

Ka nui te mihi ki a koe, e te rangatira. Moe mai rā. 🕊️

Read his obituary via the link in our bio.

09/10/2026

Winners and loo-sers: Dunedin student on mission to rank NZ’s public toilets

08/10/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1HfHG5SmX9/

Seven researchers from the University of Otago, Faculty of Medicine-Christchurch Ōtautahi have been awarded over $800,000 in funding support from the Canterbury Medical Research Foundation (CMRF) in its 2026 Grant round.

08/10/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CiCsR3aWX/

The Pacific political champion for loss and damage has told a Pacific symposium that the region losses from climate impacts go far beyond money.

Tonga's Hu'akavameiliku Siaosi Sovaleni said non-economic losses and damages from the climate crisis must be recognised in policy and finance.

Read Iliesa Tora's full story, linked below.

08/10/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1HvnG9Uip7/

The Department of Anatomy recently joined with the Department of Bioethics to celebrate the launch of Emeritus Professor David Gareth Jones latest book “Encountering the dead - Ethical reflections of a human anatomist.”

Written from a personal perspective, his new book presents an overview of ethics and anatomy in an accessible manner. It covers unethical travesties such as those from the N**i era, and the revolution in public anatomy created by the Body Worlds public exhibitions of dissected human bodies. It highlights the growing appreciation of ethical developments by anatomists from Medieval times to the present and assesses the consequences for present-day ethical expectations.

Gareth was Head of Department of Anatomy for 20 years, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) for five years, and was Director of the University’s Bioethics Centre. He was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to science and education in 2004.

He has published extensively in neuroscience and more recently in the ethical implications of using dead human bodies for the training of medical and allied health professional students. This includes more than 20 books in bioethics, including Speaking for the Dead published in 2009 and co-authoring the text Medical Ethics.

08/10/2026

Pacific Scholarship Recipients and Families - You're Invited!

Join us for Tāpena Preparem Umi 2026, an evening designed to support Pacific students and their families as you prepare to begin your studies at the University of Otago.

Come along to:
✅ Learn about course planning and enrolment
✅ Understand your scholarship requirements and administration
✅ Meet Pacific student support staff
✅ Ask questions and gain confidence for the year ahead

We encourage students to bring their parents, caregivers, and family members to be part of this important transition.

📅 See the poster below for event details and registration information. If you have any questions, email our Pacific Community Engagement Officer, Annelle, at [email protected]

We look forward to welcoming you and your aiga, kāiga, whānau, and families as you prepare for this next chapter. 💙

08/10/2026