Longo Matangi

Project Coordinator, Le Va
Bachelor of Health Science in Health Management

She loves making a positive difference to Māori and Pacific communities, says Longo Matangi who completed a Bachelor of Health Science in Health Management in mid-2024.

“As a Pasifika woman, my passion lies within the Pasifika and Māori communities, and ensuring that we can meet equitable and positive health outcomes. I currently work for Le Va as a project coordinator for the FLO Pasifika for Life programme, which equips Pasifika families and communities with a better understanding of how to prevent suicide by enhancing protective factors and reducing risk factors associated to suicide. I’m excited to be part of the amazing team here at Le Va where I can contribute to our community.”

After growing up in a low socioeconomic area, she feels that being able to get such a meaningful job and a good education is truly a blessing.

“I’m the first grandchild on my father’s side to graduate from university and gain a bachelor’s degree, so this is a big accomplishment for me and my family. As I was growing up, I sure could have gone a different way in life as the cards I was dealt in life weren’t great. However, seeing my own community, Glen Innes, made me want to aim higher and become better so that I could give back to my loved ones and my community in any way I could.”

An easy decision
Longo – whose family hails from the village of Ta’anea in Vava’u, Tonga, and from Ngā Rauru in Whanganui – says deciding to study health management was easy for her.

“I chose health management as it covered both health and business aspects, which enables me to keep an open mind throughout my careers. If I want to work with patients or clients, I can do this with my degree. If I want to work in HR or in a corporate environment, my degree also allows me to do so.”

There were plenty of highlights throughout her time at AUT.

“As a mature student, I loved being able to gain valuable experience and insights in the disability, mental health and youth spaces, including being able to work full-time as a funding facilitator at Taikura Trust alongside my studies.

“The supportive health management team – especially Lynda Guildford and Vicki Tennant – was one of my highlights at AUT. They were positive and supportive throughout my degree, and always offered invaluable advice. I also enjoyed being on the faculty’s student shadow board in my last year. That was a great way to share student insights and worries with the staff in a respectful and professional way. I felt like an advocate for other students by being on this shadow board.”

Advice for other students
Longo’s advice for other students is simple: go with your gut.

“For some of us, we might not be able to afford university study, we might not have the time, and we might not think that we’re good enough, but AUT has a lot of services and supportive staff to help you through this. I found the health management staff to be very helpful and having some online lectures was handy, so I used that as my advantage to get through my degree.”

While she admits that her own studies weren’t without worries, she says she had a bit of lightbulb moment in her first year.

“During my first semester back at AUT, I was quite worried about not being able to financially afford expenses for myself and family while studying, however someone once said, ‘Money comes and goes, but time doesn’t’. I understood that there will always be a job out there for me, however I might not have the time to complete a degree in the future. I knew that in 2024 I would be 27 regardless, so why not be 27 with a degree?”