Welcome Akesa Kavai

A LOVE of children makes being a Tamariki Ora nurse a dream job for Akesa Kavai.
Akesa has worked as a Turanga Health Tamariki Ora nurse for four months.

She studied nursing extramurally through the Universal College of Learning and has spent the past four years working at Kiri Te Kanawa Retirement Village.

Her goal has always been to work with children and babies - but not in a hospital.“I’ve always had a passion for children but I didn’t like the paediatric wards because I don’t like seeing unhealthy or sickly children.”

Being a Tamariki Ora nurse involves everything Akesa loves about health and preventative care.“Working with kids, you’re not just focusing on them, you look at the entire family as a whole. Often you can’t just fix one issue because it relates to everyone not just the children.”

Akesa loves meeting babies and in a few months will meet her own! Already mum to Carmel, 7, and Timote, 23 months, her third child is due in March.

Akesa is of Tongan descent and was born in Auckland. Her family moved to Gisborne before her first birthday and went to Te Hapara Primary School, Gisborne Intermediate and Gisborne Girls’ High School.

Away from work, Akesa and her family love spending time at the park and are heavily involved with Wesleyan Methodist Church.

​Turanga Health welcomes Akesa Kavai.

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