Embarking on a Speech Language Therapy career - Hayley Tewhata
Hayley began her journey with Why Ora in 2024 as a Year 13 tauira attending New Plymouth Girls’ High School. Meeting with our Kaiārahi Liahna, together they discussed the various types of support available through our Manaaki Oranga (Why Ora pastoral care) programme and explored how Why Ora could assist Hayley to pursue her health career aspirations.
Hayley registered with Why Ora and during whanaungatanga/ relationship building and goal setting with our Kaiārahi, Throughout this Hayley identified a strong interest in gaining work experience.
Our Kaiārahi connected Hayley with Jemma Bridge, a professional speech and language therapist working with the Ministry of Education.
They spent time together talking in depth about the career, what to expect during study and looking at speech and language therapy resources. Hayley said their kōrero helped her to gain clarity on her future direction.
After applying and being accepted by the University of Canterbury to study speech and language pathology in 2025, Hayley needed assistance to explore scholarships, to help with costs. Our Kaiārahi was then able to support Hayley to research and apply for scholarships.
Hayley has recently commenced study. We are so excited for her on her chosen career path! We also wish to thank Jemma and the professionals who inspired our taiohi! This support can be key to whānau pursuing future careers
