Congratulations to Zoe Taptiklis, recipient of a grant from the Yvonne A. M. Smith Charitable Trust to support her Masters in Clinical Psychology at Massey University.

Zoe is a dedicated mental health researcher and advisor, currently working in the New Zealand Government. With an academic background including an MA and MSc (both with Distinction), Zoe has received multiple awards for excellence and is also a published poet and social commentator.

Growing up in the rural village of Te Puia Springs, Zoe has seen first-hand the mental health challenges faced by rural communities, especially rangatahi Māori. Through her current work leading national health surveys, she’s committed to improving mental health care in Aotearoa.

With the support of this grant, Zoe will gain the clinical expertise needed to help lead change towards a more integrated, bicultural, and accessible mental health system for all New Zealanders.