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Flourishing Health Systems: Embedding Disabled People's Expertise in Health Design
Scholarship details
| Study levels | Ph D |
|---|---|
| Value | $32,000 stipend per annum, plus Tuition Fees for 3 years |
| Close date | Monday, 16 November 2026 |
| Domestic/international | Both domestic and international |
About the scholarship
This scholarship is funded by the Health Research Council of New Zealand Research Programme grant: Flourishing Health Systems: Embedding Disabled People's Expertise in Health Design led by researchers at Victoria University of Wellington and the University of Otago. The project began in July 2026 and will run until June 2029. The PhD scholarship has been funded within the grant as part of a broader effort to strengthen research capability and capacity building in disability research. The research programme is designed to support Te Whatu Ora | Health New Zealand (HNZ) to embed disabled people's and tāngata whaikaha Māori lived expertise into health service design, planning, commissioning, and rehabilitation access decisions. The aim is to work alongside existing HNZ priorities and work programmes, identifying practical ‘insertion points’ where lived expertise can strengthen real-time decisions about access, service pathways, prioritisation, and equity. The project uses He Awa Whiria: the braided river methodology as its overarching approach. This reflects the way different knowledge streams can flow alongside and into each other while retaining their integrity.
Entry requirements
Applicants must:
- be a Disabled person/Tāngata Whaikaha and/or Deaf/Tāngata Turi
- have completed Honours or Masters in a relevant field e.g. disability studies, health promotion, health policy, rehabilitation, Māori health, public health, health science, social science or another relevant discipline
- meet the criteria for PhD admission at Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington
- be interested in undertaking collaborative, equity-focused research within the Flourishing Health Systems programme.
Disability is understood broadly and inclusively. Applicants are not expected to represent the experiences of all disabled people, and no particular impairment, diagnosis or support need is required.