After several years juggling studies, work and family life, the Oamaru mum-of-five will commute to Timaru this year to begin her Bachelor of Nursing studies full time – with the first year covered by a Ministry for Pacific Peoples funding grant.
Tapa’atoutai says her early life experiences caring for her grandmother in Tonga and her more recent community and healthcare work have shaped her nursing aspirations – but her determination to be a role model for her children is what really inspires her.
