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Māori doctor has no regrets leaving New Zealand for UK amid pandemic to study for Masters

Te Aro Moxon arrived In the UK to study towards his Masters of Science six weeks ago.


A Māori paediatrician has no regrets leaving the safe haven of New Zealand to study at Oxford University in the midst of a nationwide lockdown.

Hamilton-born Dr Te Aro Moxon arrived in the UK in October to study towards a Masters of Science in global health and epidemiology with a focus on getting better outcomes for Aotearoa’s most vulnerable by addressing inequities that exist in the health
system.

‘We have some massive inequities particularly with ethnicity back home for Māori and Pacific children in particular, so for me upskilling in regards to epidemiology and population health study will compliment my work as a paediatrician back home’ said Dr Moxon.

In the midst of a pandemic and a nationwide lockdown in England, the 35 year old says he’s impressed at the University’s strategies to reduce the spread of coronavirus on and off campus.

‘They have really clear tikanga or protocols to guide us and make sure we're safe as possible. I think we make sure we follow the rules to try and mitigate the risks and in terms’

He added ‘It’s different from your standard university experience as you may have guessed, we're spaced out within the classroom, there's max number of 32 students in the class and we all wear face masks as well as the lectures who also stand behind a perspex screen’

Another challenge will be the huge workload and the intensity of work, unlike other Universities where masters degree run for two years, the Oxford course has been compacted into one year which will be a huge undertaking to complete the requirements in such a short time.

His wife Rachael Bright is also supporting him in England as she studies towards a masters in Social Innovation at Cambridge University. She described Te Aro as a talented doctor, gifted Māori language speaker, who is passionate about te ao Māori.

‘He’s an assuming person, he likes to go under the radar but has a huge amount of talent in all areas,’ she said.

In completing his masters, Te Aro plans to return to Waikato at the end of next year and work in paediatrics.
 

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