From "Just doing Activities" to MOMENTS THAT MATTER Three years ago, I began my studies in Health and Wellbeing through NZMA, completing Level 3 and 4 with the support of an incredible tutor. During placement week, I arrived at Te Awa Lifecare in Cambridge and immediately felt at home. What started as a work placement soon turned into a part-time position as a Healthcare Assistant. I loved the work culture. I had great teachers, clinical managers, colleagues, and nurses who n

Someone seen something in me that I never knew I could be. I was employed in a rest home as a laundry person. My manager came to me one day after I had worked there a few months and told me that my talents were wasted in the laundry, that I should go upstairs and watch what the recreational ladies do, as she felt that that was my calling. I observed the interactions but didn’t feel that I was smart enough to take on any studies. I had left school in the 4 th  form and only ha

Journey as a Diversional and Recreational Therapist: A Path to Making a Difference In April 2015, I began my journey as a Health Care Assistant (HCA) at Makoha Resthome in Rotorua, New Zealand. This marked the beginning of a path that I had not anticipated, but one that would shape my life in ways I couldn’t have imagined. Before that, however, I had struggled for some time to find stable work after moving from the Philippines. My dream was simple: to provide a better life fo