AUT School of Sport and Rec

If you had told Akanisi Ledua as an AUT student that she would one day be Head of Community at an NRL club, her response would have been:

“Not evennn.” 😂

Physiotherapy was the original plan, but when that pathway did not work out, Akanisi enrolled in AUT Bachelor of Sport and Recreation. What initially felt like the alternative soon introduced her to the breadth of careers available across sport and helped her discover where her own strengths might fit.

Akanisi found her first professional home in education as an HPE teacher. She loved teaching and working with young people, but after moving to Sydney in 2024, she was ready for a break and open to something different.

The opportunity that followed did not come through a carefully mapped career plan.

After joining a local rugby union club, Akanisi made what she describes as a bold move: she asked someone there whether they knew anyone she could speak to about work. That person had previously worked in HR at Wests Tigers and told her about the club’s developing community programmes.

Akanisi’s experience in education, connection with young people and genuine heart for community created the alignment.

She joined Wests Tigers as Community Program and Curriculum Coordinator. Today, she is Head of Community, leading a team that uses sport to bring people together, strengthen communities and create lasting impact.

Her move across the Tasman has also inspired her to begin building her own ventures supporting iTaukei young people and Fijian communities in sport.

Her advice for students still figuring out where they belong within the sport industry?

“If you love sport, there is definitely a role for you out there. But stay true to your values and what you’re passionate about. Like my dad told me, ‘You want to wake up to a job you’re keen to get out of bed for.’”

Vinaka for sharing your story with us, Akanisi 💖

When you graduate, a little piece of our School goes with you and a little piece of you stays with us 💙

Watching our students grow, achieve and step confidently into their next chapter is one of the greatest privileges of what we do. We couldn’t be prouder of our graduates and all they have accomplished.

Once part of the School of Sport, Exercise and Health, always part of our whānau 🤙🎓

📸 Fraser Ward

A huge mihi to our HPE major students who volunteered their time today at the CLM Try Games Day at Bruce Pulman Park🙌

More than 200 students from special schools across Auckland came along for a day of movement, games and plenty of fun. It was an awesome opportunity for our students to get hands-on experience, work alongside young people, and connect with organisations across the sector.

A massive thank you to our student volunteers:

⭐ Giarna Treadwell
⭐ Kyla Middleton
⭐ Rebecca Semik
⭐ Moses Solomon
⭐ Brooke Morgan
⭐ Aarush Chand

Huge thanks to Tracey-Lee Dalton for organising such an epic event and creating the opportunity for our students to be involved, and to Amy Kaukau for bringing together our AUT student crew.

There are plenty more volunteering opportunities coming up, so if you missed out on this one, keep an eye out for the next! 👀

For most of her life, Zoe Crawford has experienced high-performance sport as an athlete. Now, through her AUT degree and placement, she is discovering what it takes to support athletes behind the scenes.

Zoe is studying a Bachelor of Sport, Exercise & Health, majoring in Management, while competing internationally as a member of the New Zealand Black Fins.

Her surf lifesaving journey began at four years old in Gisborne. After moving to Auckland, she joined Mairangi Bay Surf Life Saving Club, before beginning to pursue pool rescue seriously in 2022.

The results soon followed: four gold medals at the 2024 Surf Life Saving World Championships and gold in the 100 m Manikin Tow at the 2025 World Games. Zoe has also broken the world record in the 100 m Manikin Tow and helped Mairangi Bay set a world record in the 4 × 50 m Lifesaver Relay. 🥇

Alongside training, competing and studying, Zoe completed her Co-op placement with Surf Life Saving New Zealand High Performance programme.

She helped deliver athlete development camps, supported coaches and athletes, coordinated logistics and developed a centralised process for reporting and resolving issues during junior camps.

At the Performance Pathway Camp on the Gold Coast and in Bundaberg, Zoe experienced a high-performance environment from a new perspective - as a manager rather than an athlete.

“Working as a manager instead of an athlete reinforced the importance of clear communication, adaptability and being proactive when solving problems.”

Next, Zoe will represent the Black Fins at the World Championships in South Africa this December, where the team will pursue New Zealand’s first overall victory since 2018. She also hopes to defend her individual titles.

Beyond competition, Zoe is building towards a career in sport management - bringing with her an understanding of high-performance sport from both sides 👏🏼

We are so proud of you Zoe 🥹❤️‍🔥

What does a day in the life of a Senior Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Science look like? 👀

From an early-morning gym session to teaching, meetings, professional development and postgraduate supervision, spend the day with Dr Alyssa-Joy Spence.

Swipe across to follow her day 👉

As part of our Not Just the Intern series, meet Ami Duff, a third-year AUT Sport, Exercise and Health student completing her placement with FAM FunctionalAdaptiveMovement

Every day, Ami travels by bus from Gulf Harbour to THE PHYSIO CO. here she supports strength and conditioning sessions for people with neurological and physical conditions.

It is a long commute, but for Ami, the opportunity to contribute to this community makes it worthwhile.

During her placement, Ami assists with transfers and safety, offers movement cues and, as her confidence has grown, has begun leading parts of sessions herself.

But her biggest learning has gone far beyond exercise.

Ami has seen how trust, communication and genuine relationships can help remove the barriers people with disabilities encounter every day. That became especially clear while volunteering at the Halbergfoundation Games, where she coached young people with disabilities from across Aotearoa New Zealand.

“Their capability was obvious. People aren’t limited by their impairment, but by environments that fail to adapt and support them.”

The experience has helped Ami recognise the kind of practitioner she wants to become: someone who coaches with intention, challenges assumptions and creates spaces where people of all abilities can participate meaningfully.

“I’m not just the intern - I’m a growing professional dedicated to coaching and practising with intention, inclusion and deep respect for people of all abilities.”

At 84 years old, Peter is deadlifting 60 kg - just 18 months after joining AUT’s Never2Old programme.

Peter is one of a group of Never2Old members proving that strength, confidence and new goals can continue to grow at any age.

Over the coming months, several members will be preparing for their first powerlifting competition, Grind and Glory, in Tauranga. We will be following their training, sharing their stories and celebrating what is possible when people are supported to keep moving, learning and challenging themselves.

For Peter, 84 is not a reason to slow down. It is another opportunity to get stronger 💪

POV: your lecturers are proudly watch you graduate 🥺

A few photos from today’s graduation, captured by our staff Cekebrating our students as they cross the stage will be forever be one of our favourite parts of the job.

Congratulations to all of our newest AUT grads 👩🏽‍🎓❤️‍🔥

Paulo Pulido spent nearly 10 years serving in the United States Navy before deciding to pursue a completely different career.

While working as a hospital corpsman and advanced radiologic technologist, Paulo also played and coached volleyball for his unit. Helping new players improve and grow in confidence made him realise that sport, coaching and education were where he wanted to focus next.

That led him to New Zealand and AUT. Paulo wanted to study somewhere that placed real emphasis on practical learning, coaching, community engagement and leadership, rather than keeping everything in the classroom. AUT’s hands-on approach, industry connections and opportunities to apply what he was learning made it the right fit.

Now in his second year of the Bachelor of Sport, Exercise and Health, Paulo is studying Health and Physical Education with a minor in Youth Development and Coaching.

Since coming to AUT, he has made the most of opportunities to get involved. He has coached high school volleyball, facilitated volleyball sessions, volunteered in the community, worked on a project with Basketball New Zealand , and taken on roles as a student representative and peer mentor.

Paulo says learning about mātauranga Māori has also been an important part of his experience, helping him think differently about culture, relationships, teaching and learning.

His goal is to become a health and physical education teacher while continuing to coach sport.

“I want to help students and athletes develop not only their physical abilities, but also their confidence, resilience and leadership.”

His advice to other students is to get involved, take opportunities and not be afraid of getting things wrong along the way.

“Don’t let where you started determine where you can finish.”

Read Paulo’s full story through the link in our bio.