Aniva Programme Celecbrates Success

21 June 2017

Aniva Programme Celecbrates Success

The success of New Zealand's Pacific nurses will be the focus of a special event at Te Papa Museum this evening with the Prime Minister and a number of Pacific health leaders in attendance.

The event celebrates the first cohort of Pacific nurses to be awarded the Master of Professional Practice (Leadership) qualification under the Aniva programme (delivered through Whitireia Community Polytechnic), and acknowledges the contribution of families, communities, employers and education stakeholders in achieving this milestone.

“It is a great achievement. To be able to host an event to celebrate the success of our Pacific nurses with their families and share this celebration with people from the health and education sectors and the community is a very special milestone,” says Dr Suitafa Debbie Ryan, Director of Pacific Perspectives.

“Seeing the first cohort of Masters’ graduates completing their qualifications is a significant achievement for the Aniva programme, for the Pacific health workforce, and for the organisations, families, and individuals themselves. This is a demonstration of a collective effort.”

The Aniva programme is a Pacific workforce development programme funded by the Ministry of Health, designed and delivered collaboratively by Pacific Perspectives Ltd and Pacific nursing leaders Fuimaono Karl Pultou-Endemann and Dr Margaret Southwick to support Pacific nurses in achieving postgraduate qualifications.

Dr Ryan says that while many are looking forward to hearing about the results of some of the student’s masters research projects, the excitement is about the significant changes and improvements to health service delivery for Pacific people that students are already making in their workplaces.

“As of 2015, the Aniva programme accounted for almost one in every six postgraduate enrolments, and one in every four postgraduate course completions, by Pacific people.”

Completion rates within the Aniva programme showcase a level of success for Pacific people that is far above the mainstream averages - with successful completion rates of 85% for Aniva students, compared to a 51% completion rate for Pacific students in mainstream providers.

The programme is exceeding expectations with higher success rates for Pacific students than any part of the tertiary education sector.

“95% of Aniva students complete their target qualification within one year, compared to 25% for Pacific students in mainstream providers - and we expect to see 13 students graduating with a Master’s degree by the end of this year. That is a tremendous success,” Dr Ryan adds.

“We are seeing great results and we look forward to more celebrations to further strengthen the pool of the Pacific health workforce, enabling them to deliver evidence-based health care to our diverse communities.”

The Aniva programme was initiated as a pathway to advance nursing education and to respond to the increased demand for achievement of postgraduate qualifications by Pacific nurses.

The programme involves a three-year, part-time, Masters level qualification designed specifically to motivate and encourage progression, with an in depth understanding of health issues affecting Pacific people. The three year programme is made up of three distinct qualifications that combined staircase to a Masters-degree level qualification.

ENDS.

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