Some of Jordan Tewhaiti-Smith's relatives - including his dad - are Mongrel Mob members. They were also his biggest supporters while he studied to become a doctor. (Video first published in December 2019)

Jordan Tewhaiti-Smith is sometimes asked why he isn't a patched-up member of the Mongrel Mob.

"To be honest I don't think I would fit the facade," the 23-year-old, who is about to graduate as a doctor, said.

Growing-up around the gang – his father and several uncles were members – was a "normal" part of his childhood.

Tewhaiti-Smith (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāi Tahu, Ngā Puhi) will join 38 other Māori medical graduands taking part in Te Hika Pounamu, a Māori pre-graduation celebration, in Dunedin on Friday before the main graduation on Saturday.

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"Just because my dad's a Mongrel Mob member and I'm Māori doesn't mean I can't do anything like the rest of the population."

Supplied Jordan Tewhaiti-Smith was part of a groundbreaking study that utilised his gang connections to assess the health of Mongrel Mob members.

His parents had been his biggest supporters, along with his wider whānau, and he was a firm believer that "not one person raises a child, it is a village".

Tewhaiti-Smith has spent the last six years studying towards a bachelor of medicine and a bachelor of surgery at the University of Otago School of Medicine. The course had been "bloody hard".

During his studies he had been called a "dumb Māori", and encountered accusations of preferential treatment.

The negative interactions only inspired him to say "well, I'll show you".

"I flipped it and used it as my motivation."

As a student, he made national headlines for using his family's gang connections for a ground-breaking new study on the health of the Mongrel Mob.

Lawrence Smith/Stuff Growing up around gang members was a "normal" part of Tewhaiti-Smith's childhood.

Dozens of Mongrel Mob members, affiliates and extended family had their liver health assessed by University of Otago researchers.

"Nothing surprised me, because I grew up with this, but some of the rest of the team expressed surprise at how welcomed they were," Tewhaiti-Smith told Stuff in the 2018 interview.

His own medical journey was driven by witnessing the inequities in Māori health, particularly after his sister Tia was born at 24 weeks' gestation.

Tewhaiti-Smith, who was 15 at the time, recalled visiting his sister in Dunedin Hospital's neonatal intensive care unit every day after school for four months.His grandmothers also became ill about the same time.

"There was a lot of judgement from doctors and nurses due to us being Māori. There were also a lot of negative perceptions within our family about the health system and what it had to offer and that it didn't really work for us."

Support from his whānau and Kia Ora Hauora – the national Māori health workforce development programme – helped with his success at university and made him want to "give something back".

JOHN KIRK-ANDERSON/STUFF Tewhaiti-Smith is about to start work as a doctor at Christchurch Hospital.

Tewhaiti-Smith is part of an increasing number of Māori doctors graduating from Otago's School of Medicine.

Just eight Māori doctors graduated in 1999, while this year there are 38 provisional graduands.

Tewhaiti-Smith has secured a job at Christchurch Hospital, where he will spend six months doing general medicine, then general surgery and ear nose and throat healthcare, as part of his ongoing training.

"I want to change the outlook that Māori have within the health system in New Zealand," he said.

"As a clinician ... that's where I can make a difference. That's why I wanted to be a doctor."