I want to give back to as many people as possible: BDO Sir Henare Ngata Scholarship recipient Maioha’s aspiration

Maioha is a recipient of the BDO Sir Henare Ngata Scholarship - awarded each year to three accounting students nationally to help grow the next generation of Māori accountants. 

Maioha Andrews found out that she was a scholarship recipient while she was deep in exam study, and relief flooded over her when she realised that she had secured both the financial support and mentorship to help her transition from university into the actual working world. 

Below she shares her journey from a kura Kaupapa Māori through to an internship and soon, a scholarship at BDO Northland. 

“The aspirations I uphold are not only my own, but they are of my whānau, my hapu, my iwi, and to iwi Māori as a whole.”


I come from Te Tai Tokero in the far north of Aotearoa. I was very fortunate to have grown up there, but I also spent part of my school journey in Auckland. 

I’ve always had a passion for business and an interest in problem-solving subjects, and I think that’s what drew me towards wanting to do a degree in business and accounting. 

I’m keen to do my chartered accountancy once I graduate. But I’d really like to work in the Business Advisory space. I like people and building relationships, so I want to be able to give back to as many people as possible. 



“I want to help create a world where Māori can be financially successful and where they can learn financial literacy to help them in their daily lives.”

It has been a tough year for myself and my family, so the scholarship will help me with everything, from giving me the peace of mind that I’m going to be okay financially, to opening the door to real world learning, and being supported every step of the way by a mentor. In fact, my mentor is going to be Solomon Dalton from Northland, who is one of the people who encouraged me to apply for the scholarship. 

I don't think of this as an individual journey, but I think that I'm carrying everyone with me, which is probably my motivation definitely to finish and just continue my career as a Māori chartered accountant, hopefully one day. So, I think that's my main motivation is just my people.

“To anyone thinking of applying, just do it”

Don’t hesitate, don’t second guess yourself. It’s not just a reward for yourself, but also for your whānau who support you. Māori need as much support as they can get in this industry, the only thing holding you back from achieving whatever you want is you. 

About the BDO Sir Henare Ngata Scholarship

The BDO Sir Henare Ngata Scholarship aims to help address the underrepresentation of Māori within the accounting profession. It offers financial assistance, an internship or graduate opportunity with a BDO firm, registration to the Ngā Kaitatau Māori o Aotearoa hui, and mentorship with BDO. To find out more, click here.