News in brief

Cool on campus

MAS Advisers Jacob Hattersley and Malcolm Dixon joined the crowd at Victoria University Orientation Week earlier this year, chatting with eager young O-Week goers about all the ways MAS supports students. With a cornhole game to attract the punters and spot prizes up for grabs, the MAS stall drew a steady crowd, with many interested in the free, no obligation meetings on offer with MAS Student Advisers. When it came to the most common financial queries from the younger crowd, many were keen to learn more about how KiwiSaver works, tips for budgeting and making their money stretch further and ways to set up good financial habits once they had finished study. 

“It was a great atmosphere on campus, and the students were really open and keen to chat,” says Jacob. “Younger generations are more interested in financial advice than ever before, and they are starting their working lives in a really tough economic environment, which is why the MAS Student Advisers and the JTC student e-newsletters are so important. It’s cool to be able to support people of all ages and financial stages.” 

Beaut day at Round the Bays

Earlier this year, an energetic group from MAS once again took part in one of Wellington’s favourite outdoor events, Round the Bays. There were MAS team members and their families taking part across all categories, from the half marathon through to the 10km event and the all-ages fun run. And to make sure everyone looked the part, MAS provided t-shirts and caps and covered all event costs for our runners and walkers. Team members started crossing the finish line just as the Wellington wind picked up, and after working up an appetite, everyone headed to the MAS hospitality tent for a BBQ with our friends from the Wellington branch of the The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners. It’s the fourth year that MAS has participated in the iconic event.  

Star students

The latest round of MAS Here for Good scholarships have been awarded, with two group and four individual scholarships going out to a diverse bunch of community-minded students. For the individual scholarships, recipients included medical student and community volunteer, Lorna Pairman, AUT occupational therapy student and pain management advocate Courtney du Preez, tech startup entrepreneur Tom Tamaira and InsideOUT volunteer and youth advocate Keifer Hunt. 

Group scholarship recipients were Te Ropere Tipene from Te Oranga ki Ōtākou, a volunteer group that supports Māori students at Otago Medical School, and Charlie Mudgeway from UN Youth Wellington. 

For Courtney du Preez, gaining a MAS scholarship came as a huge surprise. “I was so shocked to hear I had won! I almost froze on the phone!” The scholarship will help with study materials and transport costs involved with her work assisting research into complex regional pain syndrome. "My own experiences with chronic pain made me want to help change things for others,” she says. I advocate for pain management, I’ve worked with PhD students looking into treatment for pain conditions and I’m also part of a research project looking into a new treatment for chronic upper limb pain.” 

Have you heard about MAS Investment Funds?

Financial boost for fresh grad

None of us would say no to a financial windfall, but when you’re straight out of university, a little extra cash is particularly welcome. As part of the annual MAS Graduate Campaign, university leavers are encouraged to book an appointment with a MAS Student Adviser, and every student who attends a meeting is eligible to go into the draw to bag the $3,000 prize.  

When MAS phoned Ilyas Rosslan to tell him he was this year’s winner, the pharmacy graduate was so busy at work he ignored the call. “It was lucky they phoned me back! I was so excited to hear the news. When you’ve just moved cities and started a new job, that money means a lot.” 

The 22-year-old who recently shifted from Dunedin to Invercargill to take up a role at Southland Hospital, says going from studying to full-time work has been challenging but rewarding.  

“I really enjoy working out how to optimise patients’ medication to get the best health outcomes for them. On the ward, we get to be advocates for patients, and people know they can chat with us about any concerns they have with their medication. It’s great to be able to help people in that way.” 

And when it comes to his plans for the prize money, Ilyas is playing it safe. “I plan to put some of it into my savings, and the rest will go towards things like housing costs. Everything feels so expensive when you’re just starting out, so having something like this is so helpful.” 

What's on

Key events on the MAS calendar 

Come and join us at one of our in-person MAS Member Connect events.  

All MAS Members have been invited to MAS Member Connect – a series of in-person Member functions heading around the country. Hosted by MAS CEO Suzanne Wolton, this is your opportunity to meet some of the MAS leadership team, hear about the exciting work going on at MAS and ask us your questions. You’ll also hear our guest speaker from JBWere talk about the latest news on the investment markets. Here’s where we’ll be heading:

Christchurch
Thursday 2 May

Hastings
Monday 6 May

Wellington
Tuesday 7 May

Auckland CBD
Wednesday 8 May

Auckland North Shore
Thursday 9 May

For more details, see mas.co.nz/MemberConnect/

MAS is proud to sponsor:

NZ Association of Artist Doctors art exhibition
Christchurch, Friday 18 May
For details, see artistdoctors.org.nz

In-House Lawyers Association of New Zealand (ILANZ) Conference and Awards
Marlborough, Wednesday 22 May - Thursday 23 May
For details, see ilanz.org

NZ Association or Artist Doctors orchestra
Nelson, Sunday 16 June
For details, see nzdo.org.nz