David Tupou

I’m Tevita Ta E Uluafi He Lao Tupou, but most people call me David; I’m full Tongan and come from the villages of Ha’avakatolo, ‘Uiha, ‘Haapai and Niuafo’ou. I am currently studying for a Bachelor of Commerce (Major: Information Systems) and Bachelor of Law.

I will be starting a Consulting Internship for the Deloitte Risk Advisory Team this coming summer. I’m looking forward to meeting the other interns in my cohort and seeing how successful businesses like Deloitte, and their clients, work.

I never really knew what I wanted to do, but my passions have always been serving people and understanding how successful businesses work. Until last year I thought I would be working in a community law firm, but with this role, I have my foot in the door to an industry that has interested me for a long time.

I’ve done all kinds of things, such as general labour and admin work in offices. But the most beneficial was two years of working as a residential adviser in the Student Halls, where I boosted my confidence and social skills.

I also completed a summer internship with the IRD in Wellington and another with the Pacific Medical Association through TupuToa. These allowed me to gain practical experience in the corporate world, where I want to head after my studies.

During recruitment season, I checked out CDES’ schedule on their Facebook page and went to every single workshop relevant to my goal of working in the Big 4 Accounting Firms, with Deloitte being top of my list. 

I knew I needed to get my head down and grind to secure a good role for my penultimate summer, and it was time well spent seeing as I’ve now achieved my ambition of working at Deloitte.

If I didn’t attend the sessions, I knew I would regret it – especially as I’ve handed in some shockers for job applications before. Recognising that the CDES team were there to help me put my best foot forward was all I needed to humble myself and attend most of the sessions. The team blew away my expectations and sharpened me up.

I was pretty shy at first, but seeing other students that I knew in the sessions and friendly people guiding them made me comfortable enough to ask questions, which helped improve my job applications.

The CDES Māori and Pacific team worked with me throughout my application, and I can honestly say they helped me land my internship and tick off a life goal. From the beginning, on the initial Māori and Pacific Talanoa the team made me comfortable, calmed my nerves and encouraged us to ask questions, boosting my confidence to give the session my all and apply to each of the Big 4 firms.

Since then, Pepe has helped me with my CV, helped me identify what roles aligned with my interest, which firms I could apply to and connected me to opportunities to meet the hiring managers. Overall, the team helped me be comfortable enough to bring my best to each application.

If you're struggling to find work opportunities, I'd say find extra-curricular activities that align with who you are and use the career and volunteering services we have as students; even if you’re not paid for them, that’s where you’ll meet good friends, and it will help colour in your resume to who you are.

As students, we have so many opportunities sent our way, and I encourage you to make the most of them, and don’t be scared to try out new things. Also, to my Poly people, please get in touch with the Māori and Pacific CDES team - I would not have landed this role without them.