Tainafi Lefono’s journey into physiotherapy and governance has been rich in experiences and culture that he now brings to the Board te Poari Pacific Peoples Committee.
“My parents migrated here from Samoa in the eighties. I grew up in Otara in South Auckland, surrounded by family and a really tight community.”
“I’ve played sports all of my life and had injuries here and there through rugby and saw physios for rehab. I thought this would be a cool job to do, but didn’t really have a lens for what they did beyond MSK and sport.”
“It wasn’t until I had a serious rugby injury, where I broke my neck, that I experienced physio in the neuro and serious injury space. So, I was interested in getting involved in that kind of work.”
“But studying to become a physio, I didn’t know what that would look like, because nobody had gone through the programme with my kind of disability, being a tetraplegic. But AUT University were very supportive, and I had a great group of guys I came through with.”
“Being a disabled person and pursuing a career in physio was a way for me to give back to the disabled community. I wanted to work with people like me, to help them navigate life with a disability.”
“So, once I graduated in 2014, I got involved in the serious injury space as a community physiotherapist. I assessed people for complex mobility equipment and completed rehab programmes in their homes.”
“Then moved into more advisory roles, working at ACC as a clinical advisor, looking at causation, and then Enable NZ as a Professional Advisor, where I support assessors across NZ, providing advice and education on rehabilitation equipment for people with serious injuries. I’m also involved in governance spaces with the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal, Whaikaha, and working groups with ACC.”
One of the key moments early in Tainafi’s journey was working as an undergrad on a Health Research Council project. “Part of my research was looking at the resources spinal units gave to people who’d just had a spinal injury, and asking what it would take for those resources to genuinely reflect a Pacific background.”
“What I found was an opportunity to build a Pacific model of care for Pacific people recovering from a spinal injury.”
“One that held spirituality, physical health, and emotional health together, the way our people already understand wellbeing. That insight has carried straight through into my clinical practice ever since.”
“The profession has changed a lot in the past ten years, and I think one of the things that people, particularly Pasifika people, who are looking to become physios, is that it offers so many more opportunities than only the bedside or on the sports field. There’s research and policy, education, and governance. It’s an exciting space to be in, and I’d like to see more Pasifika people take it on.”
