We sit down with Mavaega Mupo — a 66 year old Samoan migrant, qualified electrician, and Voyage to Success graduate — to share the story of what persistence, community, and one extraordinary phone call can do.

Mavaega Mupo did not come to New Zealand looking for an easy life. He came in 2018 after a career spanning decades as a qualified electrician in Samoa. He had retired at 55 in Samoa, and eventually made the journey to New Zealand for a better future for his family.

New Zealand was cold. The system was unfamiliar. And for a man who had spent his whole working life being good at something, starting over was harder than he expected.

For more than a year, he applied for jobs. Warehouse roles. Maintenance work. Security positions. He sent over 50 applications. Librarians at his local Library helped him prepare them. He drove across Auckland on his own petrol, week after week, waiting for a reply.

None came.

That decision to keep going would change everything.

A Year of Silence and $155 a Week

Mavaega had worked in security in New Zealand for four years before an incident at work left him without a job. He was then living on an emergency benefit of $155 a week. He was not yet entitled to New Zealand Superannuation. The law requires 10 years of residency, and Mavaega had been in the country for eight. Two more years to wait. The benefit was not enough, and he knew it.

So he kept applying. He kept showing up. He kept asking for help wherever he could find it.

That spirit, the willingness to show up despite every reason not to, would become the thread running through everything that happened next.

Finding Zeducation. Finding Community.

Through his Samoan community group, which met every Wednesday near Mangere, Mavaega heard about the Voyage to Success programme run by Zeducation. He enrolled.

Inside the programme he found something he had not expected. His Zeducation facilitator, Matilda, could speak to him in Samoan. When difficult concepts came up, when the English felt too fast or too technical, Matilda could explain it in his own language. That small act of cultural respect made everything more accessible.

The programme covered CV writing, job search skills, interview preparation, and how to carry yourself with confidence in front of an employer. Mavaega updated his CV. He practised answering questions. He learned to speak up, make eye contact, and tell his story with honesty.

Matilda also became one of his referees.

The Right Place at the Right Time. And Then the Real Moment.

One day, while Mavaega was at the Mangere Library, a supervisor from Armourguard Security came in to do a routine site visit. She was Samoan. She recognised Mavaega from his years working in the same industry.

They talked. She said: send me your CV.

He did. Two weeks later she called him in for an interview. He showed up prepared, honest, and clear about his background. The interview covered security policies, how to handle aggressive situations, client protection, and financial awareness. Mavaega answered each question with the confidence of a man who had been practising.

But the moment that sealed it happened off the page.

Sandra Haufano, Project Coordinator of Voyage to Success at Zeducation, received a call from Armourguard during the reference process. Employers call references all the time. What made this different was what Sandra did. She did not simply confirm Mavaega had attended the programme. She went further. She spoke to the employer with warmth and conviction. She gave Mavaega a full, proactive reference. She made sure Armaguard knew exactly who they were hiring.

That phone call mattered.

Mavaega was offered the position. He signed his contract. He collected his uniform. He started work for Armaguard in October 2024, more than a year after he had last held a job.

What This Story Is Really About

On the surface, this is a story about a man finding work. But underneath, it is a story about what happens when the right people show up for each other.

Mavaega showed up, consistently, without guarantee. Matilda showed up for him with language, with patience, with her name on his CV. Sandra showed up for him with a phone call she did not have to make but knew mattered.

That is tautua. Service. Not because it is required. Because it is right.

Zeducation's work is not just about employability skills. It is about building the kind of relationships that carry people through the gaps the system leaves behind.

Final Lesson: Show Up and Speak Up

Mavaega left us with two pieces of advice for anyone out there struggling to find work.

Do not give up.

•  Keep applying even when no one replies.

•  Go face to face. Go to your community. Tell people what you need.

•  Keep moving even when the system is slow.

Tell the truth.

•  Be honest with your employer about your background.

•  Speak slowly, speak clearly, and trust that integrity matters.

•  The truth is always the best thing you can bring to an interview.

Five Things You Can Do Right Now If You Are Looking for Work

➜  Go to your community first. Tell people you are looking. Jobs come through relationships, not just job boards.

➜  Update your CV with help. Ask a facilitator, a library, or a programme like Voyage to Success to review it with you.

➜  Practise your interview out loud. Speaking your answers before the day makes a real difference in the room.

➜  Use honest referees. Choose people who know your work ethic and will speak with conviction when called.

➜  Keep a record of your applications. Follow up where you can. Do not wait passively. Stay active.

Reflect

❑  Who in your network could you proactively support right now with a phone call or a word on their behalf?

❑  What would you do differently if you received no response after 50 job applications?

❑  When did someone go above and beyond for you? How did it change your path?