Page 21 - IB FEB 2020

AUT Advertorial Sports

Towards positive

health and educational

outcomes for all

Teti being swarmed by Fans after the game against the Barbarians in Twickenham. With his winning Fijian Warrior captain Frank Lomani.
Photos: Teti Tela
LAU LAD SHINES IN TWICKENHAM

FIJI-BORN RUGBY PLAYER KICKS HIS TEAM INTO VICTORY

Put to the young man, all that Teti could say was that he
By Alipate J Pareti
had confirmed his availability to play for Fiji in the RWC
when a member of the Fiji team’s coaching panel, Peter
Fiji’s die-hard rugby followers did not know whether to
be more shocked by their B team’s win against some of the Ryan made contact early in 2019. But when Ryan was let go
world’s star rugby players in England last November, or by the by his employer a few months before the RWC kicked off last
realisation that they knew very little about the player who October, Teti knew his chances of making it into the final
Becks Lafo’Ou Lusa, UniPrep 2020 Project Lead with students enrolled in this year’s UniPrep programme. squad had also gone.
kicked Fiji to its first victory against the Barbarians.
Even fans of Teti Tela may have been surprised to learn that Then-Fiji lead coach John McGee was never in contact.
Becks Lafo’Ou Lusa is passionate about creating healthier futures reaching out to those students, guiding and “At the start of the year, it was definitely an option I’d
for Pacific communities and other minority groups around the world. empowering them, particularly during what while he had 100 per cent kicking accuracy during the 33-31 want to play in,” said Teti. “When Peter Ryan told me about
Half Samoan and half Tongan, the 24-year-old holds a Bachelor of can be a very vulnerable and confusing time.” victory against the star-studded side, this was the first time
Health Science, majoring in Public Health; and a Postgraduate Hon- For Becks, UniPrep encapsulates the spirit in his 15 years of playing that he had run into the pitch as the it, that’s when I thought I stand a pretty good chance. But
ours degree in Health Science, both from AUT. With a strong health of AUT. coach’s first choice kicker. when things fell out for the coaching staff, I know my chances
foundation in hand, she is now pursuing a Bachelor of Medicine and “I really enjoyed the natural environment would probably be lost as well. So yes, it was disappointing
Surgery in Dunedin. and collaborative approach of teaching and Few too would be aware that he is one of those rare players obviously.”
For Becks, pursuing a career in health is about helping achieve learning at AUT, especially within the health who are eligible to play for three rugby playing nations; Fiji-
good health and education outcomes for marginalised groups around science degree,” she says. “The group- his country of birth, his new home Australia or the country However the saying that when one door closes, another
the world, and in doing so creating a pathway that is equitable for based style of teaching and learning was whose passport he still uses, New Zealand. opens came true for the rugby player, whose father is
everyone to follow. familiar to me, having grown up in a Pacific originally from the village of Daliconi, in the island of
“There are so many groups under-represented in health statistics family. At AUT, I had the opportunity to learn The irony of it all perhaps is that Teti was not so named Vanuabalavu in Fiji’s eastern Lau province. Coaches of Fiji’s
world-wide,” explains Becks. “I want to contribute to addressing is- Becks Lafo’Ou Lusa, in an environment I am comfortable in and when he was born 28 years ago in Levuka, a small coastal
sues relating to underrepresentation, and at the same time, create a UniPrep 2020 Project work with people from different backgrounds. town located on an island off the east coast of Fiji’s main development team, the Fiji Warriors, Seni Seruvakula and
Lead at Auckland
pathway for others to succeed too.” University of Technology’s I had good relationships with my lecturers, island that once served as colonial Fiji’s first capital. Brad Harris got in touch about his availability to play in the
Becks is well-qualified to speak to this. Her Honours disserta- South Campus. who were approachable and willing to see November game against the Barbarians in England.
tion had a specific focus on Tertiary education success for minority me succeed. His parents had named him Mika after his maternal It was Seruvakula who got Teti to play in his favourite
groups, with findings revealing that student support, mentoring and a “I can see all these qualities within UniPrep – the togetherness and grandfather, and he only assumed his current name when his
need for teachers in secondary and tertiary institutes to focus on how the collaborative nature of the programme, being able to guide and namesake, his paternal grandfather, performed a traditional number 10 position, as well as to be the first choice kicker.
the delivery and application of their content can determine the educa- empower so some many different students straight out of high school Fijian ceremony that included the presentation of a whale’s Seruvakula is one of Fiji’s most successful local rugby coaches,
tional outcomes for Pacific learners. as they to navigate their way through the first few weeks of university and was among the four that were shortlisted for the national
“Achieving equitable outcomes for Pacific students in education is and find their place in this totally new environment.” tooth to the father of his daughter-in-law. It turns out young coach position after McGee’s contract ended last December.
important. We need the right pathways co-designed to see more of Teti shared the same birth date and month as his namesake.
our young people become integrated into all types of spaces, that will Equal access for all Mika is now the name of Teti’s youngest sibling. That job has now gone to New Zealander Vernon Cotter.
change the game completely.” “Upon graduating, I want to integrate my love for education with my The Fiji victory against a Barbarians line-up that included With the expiry of his two-year contract with the
love for medicine,” says Becks. “I want to open a community hub, us- Queensland Reds at the end of 2019, Teti told Islands
Empowering others to follow the university pathway ing my experiences to create a wrap-around service which will provide winning South African World Cup star Makazole Mapimpi, Business that the stint with his home state team has been
Becks is also Project Lead for AUT’s flagship university preparation healthcare and the necessary services for families and communities. his team mate Tendai ‘Beast’ Mtawarira and renowned Irish
programme – UniPrep, a five-week initiative held at the AUT South “A major obstacle for marginalised communities is not knowing forward Rory Best under the tutelage of successful English professionally fulfilling.
Campus in Manukau designed to assist new students, including stu- where they can go to get help, or that it’s ok to ask for help. Having a coach Eddie Jones also left a lingering question; why were “It’s been good for my foundation as a professional player,
dents from the Pacific, in their successful transition into university. centralised hub, that is both accessible and affordable would hopeful- work, training, work ethics and working on my rugby skills,
“Pacific students are collaborative learners,” says Becks. “This ly reduce barriers for students and families and really start to equalise players like Teti bypassed in the Fiji’s RWC 2019 line-up where
is why at AUT, programmes like UniPrep have been really crucial in the playing field for future leaders to come through.” the team’s dismal performance was hindered by poor kicking? • continued on pg 29

Islands Business, February 2020 21