David was born and raised in Tonga. At 16 years old, he moved to Auckland to attended Saint Kentigern College from 2003-2005. David says his time at the College was ‘extremely beneficial’ as he not only received a great education but had access to resources that would never have been available in Tonga. He thanks Mr Piaggi and Mr Barsdale who made this possible.
David says that despite the cultural difference, life at Bruce House was a great part of his personal development. ‘The boarding and adjusting to life at Saint Kentigern, along with all the support provided was extremely beneficial to my rugby and academic career. Mr Cowie, of course, was a very big part of that, along with the rest of the House Masters at the time.’
Following his time at the College, David pursued his dream of playing professional rugby. He played representative rugby for Wellington and Otago but unfortunately had several shoulder reconstructions that hindered his progress. While taking time out from rugby, David completed a BA in History and Media (both favourite subjects while at Saint Kentigern) from the University of Otago. He eventually finished with an LLB from Waikato University.
David started his professional career practising at Simpson Grierson for a few years as a corporate solicitor before moving to ASB as a Compliance Specialist, which is where he currently works. He met his wife, Mafi at law school and they now have two little boys who keep them busy outside of work.
‘The opportunity to attend and access the wealth of resource available to students at Saint Kentigern is something that I am grateful for and has been a big part of defining who am today. I am thankful for the life lessons that I learnt at the College and I will always be a proud Old Collegian. I am also very proud to be part of a history of Tongan boys who have come from Tonga to attend Saint Kentigern since 1987.’
