The former Tongan flight attendant breaking a 33-year nursing barrier

A Tongan nurse says the idea that nursing is “women's work" still needs to change as he reflects on a career path that only became possible for men in his homeland just over three decades ago.

Sione ‘Ulufonua (Lofanga and Fangale’ounga, Ha’apai) is part of a generation of Pacific men stepping into a profession that Tonga’s Ministry of Health only opened to males in 1993.

This milestone was spearheaded by pioneers like Dr. Sione Vaka, who became one of the country's first male nursing recruits that year.

Vaka’s journey from Tonga High School to becoming the first Tongan male nurse to acquire a doctorate set a historical stage for ‘Ulufonua’s own transition decades later.

Speaking with Carolanne Toetu’u on Pacific Days, ‘Ulufonua saw signs of progress, recently noting the presence of four other Pacific male nurses while speaking at Auckland City Hospital.

“It was quite heartening to see. [But] for us Pasifika, there's still that mindset that nursing is for women only,” ‘Ulufonua says. “But we are in 2026. Health is a vast area. You can go into any area that you want. You can nurse in the community or at the hospital.”

Watch Sione ‘Ulufonua’s full interview below.

This search for professional stability is what initially drew ‘Ulufonua to the field. After 15 years as an international flight attendant for Air New Zealand, the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in a sudden redundancy in late 2020.

He began his studies in 2021 and graduated from the Manukau Institute of Technology in 2024 at the age of 50. ‘Ulufonua says his choice to retrain at that age was a practical response to economic uncertainty.

“The fear for me [was] going back to the classroom. I left school in 1991 and that was a long time ago. How am I going to cope with studying for three years?

“I was thinking, ‘am I going to be able to do this’? [But] I had to make a quick decision about what's going to be the next step.

“If there's going to be another event, another pandemic, Health is the only area that you'll still be working.”

‘Ulufonua also describes his 2024 graduation as "bittersweet" as his mother passed away during the pandemic and was unable to witness him receive his degree.

Sione 'Ulufonua, front second from left, with other health care workers at Auckland's free screening event. Photo/Kaitiaki Nursing New Zealand

“Like many other Pacific Islanders who migrated to New Zealand… it was a dream for their whānau and tamariki to be successful”

To bridge his years of people skills with clinical practice, ‘Ulufonua deliberately chose the Bachelor of Nursing Pacific at MIT.

“Sometimes [I’d look] at the names and I know, ‘there's a Sāmoan name, a Rarotonga name, a Māori name, or a palangi name.

Sione ‘Ulufonua intentionally tries to make cultural connections when meeting with his Pacific patients. Photo/Ministry of Health

“I prepare myself in the way I approach them. If I say tālofa lava [hello] or o ā mai 'oe? [How are you?], even though I'm not fluent in Sāmoan.”

Now working in the "relentless" environment of the Emergency Department, ‘Ulufonua is candid about the emotional toll of the ward.

He admits he has had to "dial back" his naturally outgoing personality to meet the legal and ethical responsibilities of the profession.

Sione ‘Ulufonua recharging in Split, Croatia. Photo/Kaitiaki Nursing New Zealand

‘Ulufonua also challenges the traditional push-through mentality, where he recently reduced his hours from 0.9 to 0.7 FTE to prioritise his mental and physical well-being.

To those facing redundancy or feeling "stuck" in their careers, ‘Ulufonua encourages others that age is no barrier.

“If you look around the world [or] our country at the moment, it's very unstable at the moment. There's a lot of [people] that's going to be made redundant.

“It's not easy to be made redundant and then to go and do another career, especially at 50. But if you have the support around you, pick a career that you want and go into that.

“Don't get stuck. Just get up, get on with it and keep going.”

‘Ulufonua is now studying a postgraduate certificate in leadership and management with the goal of lifting Pacific representation in senior health roles.