Fiapai Lorreta (Lorreta) Puni
Oral Health Therapist, Te Whatu Ora Te Tai Tokerau Northland District Health Board, Whangarei / Marina Dentists Ltd, Auckland
Bachelor of Health Science (Oral Health)
She loves her job, the people she works with and the patients, says Fiapai Lorreta (Lorreta) Puni who now works as an oral health therapist, splitting her time between Northland and Auckland.
“I work three days a week for Te Whatu Ora Te Tai Tokerau Northland District Health Board in Whangarei and three days down in Auckland at Marina Dentists. I love my career! Being able to serve communities and their dental needs is so rewarding. Dental health is so important but often neglected and there’s still a way to go with the education around it. I’ve only seen a small snippet of the real-life statistics and it makes me want to help people and contribute towards improving these statistics.”
While she is still in the early stages of her career, Lorreta says there is one particular moment she is especially proud of.
“It was about three weeks after I started my role as a new graduate oral health therapist up in Whangarei. I had the opportunity to treat a five-year old patient for a review after major treatment under general anaesthetic; the same patient I had done an initial dental examination and referral consultation for this surgery for when I was doing my clinical placement for my degree. Seeing this patient and her family from the very start to the finish of her treatment almost a year later and having the family remember and thank me was a full circle moment I’ll never forget.”
The path to AUT
She had wanted to work in the dental industry since she was young, Lorreta says.
“After completing a Bachelor of Science at another university, I moved back home to Auckland and took time off to re-evaluate my future and explore my options. I was recommended to look into the Bachelor of Health Science (Oral Health) at AUT to become an oral health therapist. I wasn’t familiar with the oral health therapist role as it wasn’t a concept I grew up with overseas. However, the more I looked into it and realised what the career entailed – dental therapy and hygiene, and working with kids – it sounded right up my alley. I had heard good things about AUT and after being away from family for a few years, it was a bonus to study closer to home.”
It’s a decision she certainly hasn’t regretted and she has plenty of fond memories of her time at AUT.
“A major highlight were the clinical placements throughout my degree. AUT offered amazing opportunities to travel across New Zealand to have real-life experience as an oral health therapist in different clinics. I had the privilege of being able to work in Northland. My first ever placement was in the Far North, in Kaitaia. It was honestly the most rewarding and amazing experience I’ve ever had. I fell in love with the people, the place and the work to the point where I went straight back again in my final year for my last two placements in Whangarei.
“Some of the other highlights at AUT were the people I met through my degree. They made the hard times, assignments, late nights, clinical competencies, exams and crying sessions all worth it. Some have become some of my best friends and colleagues today and I couldn’t have done it without them. From my classmates to the lecturers, clinical educators, staff and everyone I met along the way, the support and fellowship was unmatched and something I hold very dear to my heart. Fa’afetai tele lava, meitaki mata and thank you!”
Advice for other students
Lorreta, who graduated from AUT in 2023, has some great advice for other students.
“Take every opportunity you can and don’t be scared to ask for help! Navigating university can be an overwhelming and scary thing. I know it’s easier said than done, but try not put so much pressure on yourself. Enjoy it for what it is and take it all in; the good, the bad, the pretty and the ugly. If I’ve learnt anything it’s not struggle alone; there are always support networks you can go to, so use them as much as you can.”
She also has some specific advice for other Pacific students,
“Don’t be shy to explore the avenues put in place for us, which are available in many forms. Remember to work hard, study hard and play harder. Chehoo!”
