Every fortnight inside a whare at Parihaka Papakāinga in Taranaki, people can be found laughing and catching up with whānau in the Whakaihu Taiora clinic waiting room. They’re there because of a new health initiative designed to respond to community need.

When practice nurse Huia Brady heard about the Pinnacle nursing scholarship aimed at improving equity and access in primary care, she saw an opportunity to make positive change for patients.