Tuhoe Carpinter-Davies: Rugby league fanatic and proud employee

At just 21 years of age, Tuhoe, like many of our Porirua rangatahi has had to live through a recession. Despite previously working as a labourer when the recession hit, he found himself on the benefit. He says that was a really dark time when he doubted his ability to get a job and even to succeed in his favourite pastime – rugby league.

Tuhoe started working with Josiah as part of the Partners Porirua Tupu Aotearoa programme in late 2024.

“Josiah helped a lot with my confidence and making sure that I knew that as a Polynesian I can do whatever I want, and I can raise my expectations, and it doesn’t matter whether I win or lose. He taught me to hold expectations for myself, for my work, for my family and for my sport.”

You see Tuhoe’s lifetime dream is to be a professional rugby league player – he’s wanted to do that since his dad first threw him a ball rather than a teddy bear!

“It’s Josiah who told me that to go pro I need stepping stones to get there. Things like work, a licence, a passport to reach that goal for me and my family.”

For Tuhoe rugby league is something he can depend on, it doesn’t let him down and is always there for him.

Through working with Josiah Tuhoe was able to polish up his CV and work through the interview process to land a job in the national call centre for Access Community Health.

The organisation supports people with disabilities, injuries and the elderly, says Tuhoe. “It’s going really great. I’m a people person and it makes me feel better to help our clients get through the day and to make things easier for them.”

In fact, work is going so well Tuhoe had his first promotion just five months into the job.

“Without Partners Porirua I’d be at home getting fat and being a housemaid. Partners Porirua has helped me so much – especially mentally. Josiah challenged me with ‘who’s at risk if you don’t succeed’. That’s something that I live by now.”

He says the whole team at Partners is great. “They’re really easy to talk to about serious life goals. They provided me support for the type of job I didn’t think I could get. Without Josiah’s support, advice and guidance I wouldn’t be here now.”

Aside from Partners Porirua Tuhoe says his mum is his biggest inspiration. “Because of her I want to get out there and kill it. I want to make my family a legacy instead of a statistic.”