Yvonne AM Smith Charitable Trust Scholarship Report
As required under Regulation 10 of the Yvonne A. M. Smith Charitable Trust Scholarship, I wanted to provide an update on my academic progress and confirm my continuation with the MBA programme at the University of Auckland.
Since we last corresponded on 13 April, a lot has happened, both professionally and academically.
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Professionally, one of the most significant milestones of my career has taken place, with the Northland Radiation Oncology service now officially open. After a considerable period of establishment and preparation, we welcomed our first patients on 27 July, marking the beginning of clinical operations for the new service.
Having had the opportunity to lead the establishment of this service and then see it transition from planning into a functioning clinical department has been incredibly meaningful. It has also made the past few months particularly busy, as I have been balancing the responsibilities of leading a new department and team while continuing my MBA studies.
I have attached a link about the opening of our Radiation Oncology department, which I would love for you to share with the Trustees. It captures an important milestone for our service and the communities we now serve in Northland. A New Era for Cancer Care in Northland
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Academically, I am very pleased to report that my studies have continued strongly throughout 2026.
In Quarter 1, I completed ANZ’s Unique Legal Landscape, achieving an A+, and Strategy in Dynamic Markets, also achieving an A+.
In Quarter 2, I completed Navigating the Economic Environment, achieving an A+, and Accounting and Finance, achieving an A.
I have now completed Quarter 3 of my MBA. During this quarter, I studied Analytics for Business Decisions and Delivering Value Through Operations, achieving an A+ in both papers.
I was delighted to receive Certificates of Excellence recognising my performance in all my A+ papers, which I have also attached.
What has been particularly rewarding is how relevant the MBA has become to my professional work. As our new service has moved into clinical operation, I have found myself applying what I am learning around strategy, operations, analytics, decision-making and leadership directly to the challenges of establishing and managing a new healthcare service. The combination of study and practice has made the learning particularly meaningful.
This week marks the beginning of Quarter 4 of my 2026 MBA studies, and I can confirm that I am continuing with the programme as planned. I remain fully committed to completing my MBA and look forward to continuing my studies over the coming months. I will provide the Trust with a further progress update next year as I continue through the programme.
I remain extremely grateful to the Yvonne A. M. Smith Charitable Trust for supporting my postgraduate education. The scholarship has enabled me to continue investing in my development during what has been an important period of professional growth, and I hope the Trustees will be pleased to see the progress I have made.
Please pass on my sincere thanks and best wishes to the Trustees.
