Finalists for the Pasifika Trainee of the Year award category of this year’s Careerforce Trainee Excellence Awards have all shown outstanding commitment to their community balancing that with their personal and professional commitments. Representing different sectors including cleaning, aged care, and mental health, our finalists are great examples of driven individuals who overcome barriers to progress in the career that they love.
Sina Singh
Caregiver
Milton Court Rest Home
As a caregiver or support worker, Sina’s role include promoting an environment that reinforces aspects resident safety, independence and the quality of their lives and wellbeing. She works collaboratively with her colleagues to ensure their residents’ personal goals, values, beliefs and dignity are respected. Having English as her second language did not deter her to complete her level two and three National Certificates and Dementia Care Certificate. She shares, “I have learnt many skills and have gained a lot of knowledge on the care of elderly people and many of these skills have been useful outside of my workplace too.”
On top of her caregiver role and making time to study, Sina also manages their family restaurant where she tries her best to lead by setting a good example to her staff members. “My role as a manager requires me to take leadership and ensure that all qualities are met,” she adds.
Lise Taisalika
Cleaning Service Team Leader
Auckland District Health Board
Lise worked her way up from being a part-time cleaner to becoming a Team Leader within the Cleaning Services department of the Auckland District Health Board. She is now responsible for approximately 30 staff. She has overall responsibility for the day-to-day cleaning operations to ensure Auckland City Hospital facilities are clean and safe for patients, visitors, and staff. In her role she also had to resolve disputes or de-escalate tensions. After completing the New Zealand Certificate in Cleaning (Level 3) qualification, she did further training to become a Workplace Assessor, a role where she can share her skills and experience with the rest of the team. Lise has expressed her gratitude at having the opportunity to do training with strong support from her manager. She understands “how training helps keep skills current and applicable in the workplace.”
Lise aspires to have her own cleaning company and hopes to get upskilled in the basics of business. Outside of work, she is an active leader in her church’s youth group. She sees value in working with the youth to provide them guidance in the hopes that they will also aspire to become successful and give back to their own communities.
Christina Taefu
Programme Facilitator
Framework Services
As a Programme Facilitator for Framework Services, Christina has pioneered programmes designed to empower those who experience a mental illness to develop their natural strengths and capabilities. She runs personal development, wellness, and pre-employment programmes. Christina is a valued staff member in her workplace and is well respected among her colleagues.
Her past experiences and struggles ignited her passion to be a mental health ambassador and channelled these to make a positive impact in the mental health sector and her Pasifika community. Christina is a Le Va Youth Advisory Team member, a radio show host for Te Ama Pasefika, she’s also participated in the ‘It’s not Ok’ family violence campaign and ‘Manurewa is my home’ campaign. She’s worked with various organisations to raise awareness about mental health issues as this is a prevalent issue among Pacific people. She is determined to upskill herself by attending different training courses and has recently completed her New Zealand Apprenticeship in Mental Health and Addiction Support.