Meet Enosa, Supply Chain Coordinator with a theatre nursing background

From theatre nurse to orderly, to supply chain coordinator, Enosa’s story is one of perseverance, passion, and a workplace that believes in its people.

When Enosa arrived in New Zealand from Samoa in 2015, he brought with him six years of theatre nursing experience. But with family depending on him, he needed immediate employment, so he took whatever work he could find to support them.

Enosa knew that returning to a hospital setting, where he could fully use his clinical experience and skills, would be ideal. “I knew I belonged in healthcare,” he says.

That sense of purpose came early, watching his Aunt, a community nurse, care for others and occasionally bring him along to the hospital. “I was only four or five years old, but I remember thinking, I want to care for others like her.

In 2018, Enosa applied for a role as an orderly at Southern Cross Auckland Surgical Centre. The role reconnected him to clinical spaces, patients, and teams—and it reignited his passion. It also introduced him to the hospital’s main store, where his curiosity about behind-the-scenes began to grow.

That curiosity didn’t go unnoticed. Celeste, Support Services Manager at the hospital, saw Enosa’s potential from the start. She became a guiding mentor, encouraging him to apply for the Supply Chain Co-ordinator position in 2019. With her support and a team behind him, Enosa embraced the learning curve—refreshing computer skills, understanding supply chains, and steadily gaining confidence.

Enosa’s clinical background gave him an edge. With firsthand insight into what patients and theatre teams need, Enosa brought empathy, precision, and purpose to his work, showing how nursing skills can be valuable across many roles at Southern Cross Healthcare, and a springboard into new and meaningful career pathways.

By 2020, he was managing the store solo. In 2023, he played a key role in implementing a new Inventory Management System alongside newly appointed Supply Chain Manager, Sunny.

But Enosa wasn’t done. With encouragement from Celeste, and the support of Southern Cross Healthcare, he enrolled in a year-long online course in International Supply Chains and Freight Operations through MIT, all while working full-time. Now, he’s set to begin a Level 5 Diploma in Supply Chain Management, determined to achieve his goal of becoming a manager.

“Southern Cross Auckland Surgical Centre is like family,” Enosa says. “It’s not just a workplace—it’s a place that believes in people, supports growth, and helps you find your purpose again. It keeps me growing, and that helps me support my own family and give back to my community.”

Enosa is a shining example of how Southern Cross Healthcare’s commitment to professional development, mentoring, and recognising transferable skills, can unlock incredible potential and help reimagine healthcare for Aotearoa.