Strong Voices

IHC has always seen part of its role as being to invest in leaders.

Since 2021, the IHC Scholarship Fund has provided a pathway for staff members interested in progressing their careers within the organisation.

So far, 25 people across IHC, IDEA Services, Choices NZ and Accessible Properties have been awarded scholarships to cover portions of course-related costs in a range of subjects including health and safety, psychological wellbeing, business administration, leadership and project management.

IHC General Manager Human Resources Donna Mitchell says that while the scholarships recognise and enable the development of future leaders, they also provide them with opportunities to build their expertise in making real-world changes that benefit people with intellectual disability in New Zealand.

One of the first recipients, Carlos Dellabarca, had been working as a support worker for a decade and was considering the next step in his career with IDEA Services.

When the opportunity for an IHC Scholarship popped up, Carlos jumped at the opportunity and enrolled at the Open Polytechnic to study for a Diploma in Business Management.

“I experienced the impact that decisions made in offices can have on services,” says Carlos. “I wanted the opportunity to understand and contribute to these discussions while advocating for the people we support and our staff.”

Four years on, having completed his diploma, Carlos is currently the Service Manager – Specialty Focus for the mental health service in Kāpiti for IDEA Services, where his passion for learning continues.

“I entered my manager’s office and asked him, ‘How can I be the best at my job and how can I develop myself further?’”

Carlos is now back in the classroom and working towards a Postgraduate Diploma in Disability Sector Leadership.

He says the organisation has been incredibly supportive of his development and career goals.

Carlos’s manager, Marc Tonkin, says that applying for an IHC Scholarship and taking on further study has had major benefits for Carlos, including a boost in his confidence and a real sense of achievement.

Carlos says Marc recognised his potential as a future leader and is supporting his leadership development.

“Whatever you want to do in this company, speak with your manager, make yourself heard and put yourself out there. This company will help you meet your goals.”

Another recent recipient, IHC Advocate Shara Turner, is currently in her final year of study for a Master of Public Policy at The University of Auckland.

She began studying in early 2023 and is now applying what she’s learned in the classroom to benefit people with intellectual disability.

“I was able to do [a cost benefit analysis] about providing annual health checks for intellectually disabled people, and I was able to discover we may be able to save up to 104 intellectually disabled people per year if we had the health checks.

“The health checks would also pay for themselves, because they would save the Government so much money, which is a really compelling argument.”

Shara’s manager, IHC Director of Advocacy Tania Thomas, says IHC Scholarships support career development.

“I feel very fortunate to have had one of my team make use of the IHC Scholarship,” says Tania. “I’m proud of her and her achievements, which have had positive impacts on the work of our team.

“Scholarships help individual staff to stay current, and that’s really important given that our workplace is always changing, always evolving, whether it be in new technologies, new methodologies or, heaven forbid, new regulations.”

Shara has recently published an article in the New Zealand Medical Journal about funding for annual health checks, and says there’s a lot of work to do for the intellectually disabled population.

“If you can take the opportunity to train and learn more, you’ll see real-world benefits for people who are not experiencing great outcomes.”

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Caption: IHC Scholarship recipients Shara Turner (top) and Carlos Dellabarca (bottom).

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