Full Circle: Bringing My DRT Heart into the Skies with Air New Zealand

Kia ora, I’m Jake. I trained and worked as a Diversional and Recreational Therapist after graduating from Kauri Academy, and those years hold some of the most meaningful memories in my life. Supporting older people, sharing their stories, walking alongside them through laughter and loss, it shaped me in ways I’m only beginning to understand.

But I also carried another dream deep in my heart...to travel. To explore the world, meet people from every corner, and see what life looked like beyond the places I knew. So when I was offered the chance to become a flight attendant with Air New Zealand, I said yes. I stepped into a whole new world, one filled with movement, rhythm, and wonder. I love what I do. Every flight is a new chapter. Still, a part of me missed the slower moments; the ones filled with presence, with listening, with genuine human connection.

Recently, I joined a volunteer evening with our Widebody and Narrowbody team at a local rest home. We shared kai, chatted with residents, danced, sang — it was simple, beautiful, and deeply moving. I could feel the layers of my past and present blending. The skills I had learned as a DRT came back instinctively; not in a professional way, but in a very human way. To connect, to uplift, to be fully there. That night reminded me that we don’t need uniforms or titles to make a difference. Sometimes, the most powerful thing we can offer is time; our undivided attention, our willingness to slow down, to laugh, to listen.

I’m so grateful to DJ Oliver, Hannah, Kaea, Cate, and everyone who made it happen. It filled a part of my spirit I hadn’t realised was running low. As Simon Sinek said, “Everyone has a finite amount of time… and when you offer that time to make your community better, you create true value.” I still carry my DRT training with pride. It's not something I’ve left behind; it’s something I bring with me into every cabin, every conversation, every interaction.

Thank you for the chance to give back. I’ll carry this night in my heart, wherever I fly.

I am a proud member of the New Zealand Society of Diversional and Recreational Therapists, and I carry this identity with every flight I take. I believe in the heart of our profession and no matter where life takes me, I will always be a Diversional and Recreational Therapist.