When Aseta Redican received a letter in the post saying the University of Otago wanted to give her an honorary doctor of science degree, her first thought was: “someone’s made a mistake”.

But now that reality had set in, she said she was extremely honoured and humbled by the recognition.

“I was overwhelmed and in total disbelief — still am,” she said.

“Someone, or some people, must have recommended me, and whoever they are, I am eternally grateful.”

Mrs Redican (MNZM) was the first Pacific person to qualify as a physiotherapist in New Zealand, when she graduated from Otago’s School of Physiotherapy in 1964.

Vice-chancellor Grant Robertson said since then, she had become “a trailblazer” in Pacific health and many of the initiatives she introduced were still in use.

“After dedicating her career to improving the health and wellbeing of others, it is only right that we take the time to celebrate her,” he said.

Born in Samoa, she moved to New Zealand as a 13-year-old after she was awarded a scholarship by the Samoan government to attend a boarding school in Stratford, near New Plymouth.

She spoke very little English and could only return home every three years.

She credited that experience with developing the perseverance she drew on throughout her career.

Her time in Dunedin taught her resilience and the value of relationships, which had been “invaluable” in her journey through life, she said.

After graduating in 1964, she returned to Samoa and established the first physiotherapy department at Apia General Hospital.

The department gave paraplegic patients, people affected by poliomyelitis and muscular dystrophy and post-operative cases access to care.

A few years later, she brought her expertise back to New Zealand, where she developed the physiotherapy department at Auckland’s Masonic Hospital.

She later transitioned from clinical work to health leadership.

Mrs Redican established the Pacific Heartbeat programme at the New Zealand Heart Foundation, creating a model that trained Pacific people to work in their own communities rather than distributing printed material to them.

This was considered radical at the time and has since been used across the healthcare sector.

Her leadership within the Northern Regional Health Authority (North Health) resulted in the establishment of a number of Pacific primary healthcare providers and community partnerships that still exist today.

Later, she became the general manager of Pacific Health at the Auckland District Health Board and established the Pacific Family Support Service at Starship Hospital, two Pacific Primary Health Organisations and ensured that Pacific health was included as one of the organisation’s strategic priorities.

She is a founding member of Pacifica Inc, a national organisation for Pacific women living in New Zealand; a founding member of the National Council of Samoan Women in New Zealand; a life member of Physiotherapy New Zealand; and a patron of the Pasifika Physiotherapy Association in New Zealand.

Although she retired in 2009, she continues to represent Pacific people on the boards of the Heart Foundation, the Fred Hollows Foundation and the Spectrum Care Trust.

Mrs Redican will receive the honorary degree at Saturday’s University of Otago graduation ceremony, in the Dunedin Town Hall.

john.lewis@odt.co.nz