
Manaaki Scholar Grace Asaua says her time at Otago has been 'a roller coaster, in the best way'.
Manaaki Scholars Grace Asaua and Muffet Taro spoke with communicatons adviser Koren Allpress about their time at Ōtakou Whakaihu Waka. They, along with four other scholars, were celebrated at a recent Manaaki Scholars Completion Ceremony.
Seeing family members study at Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka left Manaaki Scholar Grace keen to follow in their footsteps.
Grace arrived in Ōtepoti, from Samoa, mid-2021 to begin her Foundation Pathways programme, before embarking on a Bachelor of Science majoring in Microbiology and Immunology.
“I first heard about the University of Otago through my family. My Grandfather completed his postgraduate studies here, and many of my cousins on both sides of the family have studied at Otago, too,” Grace says.
“Hearing their stories and seeing how much they gained from their time here made me want to follow in their footsteps. When I was applying for the Manaaki Scholarship, I researched Otago more and became even more certain that this was the right place for me.”
Grace comes from a very “close-knit family” and says being away from home at 18 was a big shift.
“Back home you’re always surrounded by family and you usually make decisions together. Here, I’ve had to learn to make choices on my own, which has been challenging but also empowering.”
The food in Ōtepoti was also a big change for her.
“I grew up eating taro, yams, and a lot of coconut cream dishes, so adjusting to new foods and new routines took time, but it also helped me become more open to trying new things.”
Grace says her time at Otago has been “a roller coaster, in the best way”.
“There have been highs and lows, but when people ask me about Otago, I always remember the good. I've learned how to live independently, hold onto my faith during difficult times, and bounce back stronger.”
Grace has made friends at Otago with people from all around the world, and taken up numerous opportunities; “I never imaging working in real research labs with cutting edge equipment. It’s helped me grow not just as a student but as a person”.
Some stand-out moments for Grace include discovering her passion for lab work in 2023, which helped her decide on her major.
“I also became a POPO (Pacific Orientation Programme at Otago) mentor for pacific students studying health science first year, hoping to support students like me who are away from home and experiencing university for the first time.”
She attended her first conference – the Manaaki Conference – in Tamaki Makaurau in 2024, where she says she learned how to network and connect with other scholars.
“I also completed two internships through the Tāmanu Programme in the Pathology Department, where I worked on cancer-related research.
“That hands-on experience made everything I was learning feel real, and I realised how much I enjoy working in the lab.”
That same year, she started flatting with exchange students through Uniflats, an experience that led to her making some “amazing friends” and becoming more openminded.
She is now looking forward to graduating.
“I plan to return to Samoa to gain work experience and give back to my country, my community, and my family, who are the reason I study.”
She would like to pursue postgraduate studies in the future, and is particularly interested in cancer research.
“I hope to one day contribute to work that makes a real difference in the Pacific.”
Grace says she is thankful for the Manaaki Scholarship and all of the people who have supported her during her time in Ōtepoti.
“This journey hasn’t always been easy, but it has been incredibly rewarding. I hope to take what I’ve learned and use it to uplift others.
“Being a student here has opened so many doors for me, and I hope that in the future I can help open doors for others too—especially young Pacific students like me.”

Manaaki Scholar Muffet Taro has enjoyed his time in Ōtepoti studying towards a Master of Science majoring in Human Nutrition.
Winning a Manaaki Scholarship to study at a university in Aotearoa or AusAid scholarship in Australia is cause for celebration in the Solomon Islands.
“They put your name and your picture in the newspaper, it’s really up there. The people know this a good, good scholarship,” Muffet says.
Muffet, who is about to finish his Master of Science through the Department of Human Nutrition, says he had no intentions of taking on postgraduate study after completing his bachelor’s degree in Dietetics and Nutrition at Fiji National University in 2013.
Instead, he returned home to the Solomon Islands, taking up a job working at the Ministry for Health. In the years that followed, however, he saw an issue he felt needed addressing.
The Solomon Islands has a “real big problem” with malnutrition, particularly in children under five years of age, he says. Around 32% of children under five years of age experience stunted growth, while 39% are anaemic.
Previous studies have highlighted that men could be doing more to help their child get enough nourishment, and Muffet was wanting to understand why this wasn’t happening.
“So my research is around the role of fathers in feeding their children, and I’m looking at that from the Solomon Islands’ perspective,” he says.
“I just wanted to understand more on what they feel or think, and exploring that space.”
Throughout his research, Muffet conducted focus group discussions and interviews with fathers and survey questionnaires for mothers in the Solomon Islands. He has been investigating what influence religion and the church has on this issue, too.
He would like to see more fathers getting involved in their children’s nutritional needs.
“I want to see men participate more, not in the sense that they do everything, but that they know what to do. A lot of times, in the islands, the mother does everything.
“The father has to be in there, if we can understand the importance of that, I feel we can contribute more.”
Muffet was set to arrive in Ōtepoti in 2021, however Covid pushed his arrival out until 2023. Not long after arriving, his wife and son joined him.
Muffet says he will miss the peace of Ōtepoti.
“It’s just amazing, the place is nice and quite, I really like it here. You can walk around at night.”
While the Solomon Island population at Otago is not large, he has still found community.
“I think we share the same values, and things.”
He didn’t know many people before his family arrived and he is very appreciative of the support he has received from the International Students team and his supervisors.
“They tried to understand me from my level, and that’s what I’m so grateful of. Without these two groups of people I would have struggled a lot.
“And we’re good friends now, we’re very good friends.”
He hopes his research will help him make a difference when he returns to the Solomon Islands this month, where he is going back to his same role at the Ministry of Health.
“I hope I can go back and see what I’ve learned and try and make an impact.”
-Kōrero by Koren Allpress, internal communications adviser
Previous Manaaki Scholar stories:
The Manaaki New Zealand Scholarships provide opportunities for international students to study in Aotearoa New Zealand. The scholarships are offered to eligible citizens from developing countries and can be used for undergraduate or postgraduate study at universities or institutes of technology within Aotearoa.
Manaaki NZ Scholarships at University of Otago
The New Zealand Government offers full scholarships to eligible citizens from selected countries to study at New Zealand universities, including the University of Otago. These scholarships cover full-time undergraduate and postgraduate study at New Zealand universities. They include expenses such as tuition fees, return airfares, insurance, basic living costs, and set-up costs in New Zealand.
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