Source: Eastern Institute of Technology
9 minutes ago
EIT graduate Lucinda Campbell now works as a Mental Health and Addictions Support Worker with Te Kupenga Net Trust.
Lucinda (Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki, Ngāti Porou) completed the NZ Certificate in Health and Wellbeing (Support Work) (Level 3) at EIT’s Tairāwhiti Campus in 2023 before progressing to Level 4 study in mental health and addiction support.
A placement during her studies led to a job with Te Kupenga Net Trust. Now 22, Lucinda works as a Mental Health and Addictions Support Worker and is continuing her studies to become an addictions clinician.
“I’ve always known that I wanted a career helping people. I just didn’t know where to start.”
Although her parents were supportive and did their best to guide her, Lucinda says the wider environment made life challenging at times.
“When you grow up in this kind of environment, it can be hard to see pathways beyond what you’re surrounded by.
“I don’t see my upbringing as something that defines me in a negative way. Instead, it motivates me to create positive change and show myself and my whānau that it is possible to move beyond the circumstances we were raised in.
“My people are my why. I want to bring awareness to our people.”
Lucinda began working when she was about 13 or 14 and went on to hold jobs in hospitality and hotel reception. She also worked in the fields with her grandfather while attending high school.
She credits her grandfather with giving her a strong work ethic and eventually decided she wanted to build a meaningful career.
“One day, I literally said to myself, ‘I don’t want to live like this for the rest of my life. I want to make a career for myself.’ I was going to start studying and try to find something I liked that I could make a career out of.”
Lucinda walked into EIT, picked up a prospectus and began looking through the programmes on offer.
“I asked the receptionist what sort of classes could help me get into mental health. She said there was something that could potentially be a step into mental health and mentioned Level 3 health and wellbeing.
“I read more about it, picked up an application the next day and applied.”
During her EIT placement, Lucinda connected with the kaupapa of Te Kupenga Net Trust.
“I fell in love with the kaupapa of Te Kupenga Net Trust.”
After completing Level 3 and progressing to Level 4, she successfully applied for a role with the organisation.
“If it wasn’t for EIT, I wouldn’t have the job or the career I have today.”
Assistant Head of School Health and Sports science Paula Morris is incredibly proud of what Lucinda has achieved.
” Through the guidance of our teaching team and the support of our Registry staff, she was able to navigate a clear pathway from study into employment, building the foundation for a rewarding career supporting whānau in her community.”
Lucinda is now completing the two-year, part-time Te Taketake Diploma in Applied Addictions Counselling (Level 7) through the Moana House Training Institute.
She hopes to use her qualification to support communities further up the East Coast, where she believes the effects of methamphetamine use and poverty are not discussed enough.
“Once I get my tohu, I want to be able to take that up the Coast and help our people as much as possible.”
She also hopes to return to EIT to expand her knowledge in other areas of mental health and addictions.
“Mental health is very broad. You have mental health support work, advocacy and peer support work, and so much more to consider.
“I’m definitely thinking of coming back to EIT if they provide studies that will increase my knowledge and the pathways in my job.”
Lucinda encourages others to see EIT as a first choice for tertiary study and a practical pathway into a career.
“EIT is sometimes seen as the second option and not the first, but I think people need to change that mindset.
“I got a career out of EIT, and I think everyone else can do that too.”
As we mark Mental Health Awareness Week, we want to highlight the incredible mahi and care that countless people across Aotearoa give to those who need it, people like Lucinda, who are turning their own experiences into support for whānau and communities.
Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/10/09/eit-graduate-driven-to-break-cycles-through-mental-health-career/