The Unlikely Doctor

The extraordinary story of Dr Timoti Te Moke who - having endured a horrific childhood of beatings and abuse, then gang life, stints in prison and a trumped-up manslaughter charge - became a doctor at the age of 56 and is a staunch advocate for Maori.

Timoti Te Moke has led a life of extremes. Initially raised by his grandparents, Timoti thrived and was deemed a gifted student, but all that would change at the age of six, when his mother and stepfather took custody of him and moved to Auckland, where he endured horrific abuse at the hands of his stepfather.

By the time he turned 14, he was broken and started hanging out with other kids from his neighborhood, many of whom were experiencing similarly blighted lives. He was arrested with another boy about to break into a house and sent to Owairaka Boys' Home, a notorious state facility.

After leaving the home, he lived on the streets and ended up being recruited by a gang. Timoti wound up in prison three times - for carrying an offensive weapon, for fighting in a public place and for registering a restricted weapon.

He was in a cell in Waikeria Youth Prison when he looked through the bars and saw his future: he thought, I am going to die in here. But then, almost immediately, a patch of blue sky caught his eye, and he realized that things didn't have to be that way. Slowly but surely, he started thinking 'This is not my life'.

In his early 20's, he moved to Australia, partly to get a clean break, and eventually he did, finding work as a security guard and having a son. About 15 years later, he returned to New Zealand and trained as a paramedic.

In his final year, Timoti was working part-time at a night shelter when a drunk man started swearing at him, then stepped towards him. Timoti pushed him away and the man fell head-first on to the ground, later dying in hospital. A month later, the police charged him with manslaughter.

When the case finally went to trial, it was over quickly, with Timoti found not guilty. Timoti believes he was only charged because he is Maori; it was later revealed that the officers made the decision to charge him without consulting the Crown Solicitor.

After qualifying as paramedic, one day he was sent to a job where an elderly woman was struggling to breathe. She collapsed in front of him and, while he did everything he could, she died.

He left that job wondering if, with more training and knowledge, could he have saved her life? The next day he applied to study medicine.

He was twice rejected by Auckland Uni before being accepted by Otago, and with incredible support from his teachers, flourished. In his fifth year, he won the Hauora Maori Prize for top marks for a Maori student. Last year he finished his studies and now works as a house officer at Middlemore Hospital.

This is an extraordinary story of succeeding against the odds - and Timoti's message is that it shouldn't be this hard. He wants to do everything he can to remove the barriers in place to help Maori succeed.