Dr Timoti Te Moke survived family abuse, state care, gangs and prison before training as a doctor in his fifties.
By age fourteen, living with his mother and abusive stepfather, he became embroiled with gangs, then found himself behind bars. On his return to New Zealand, he became a paramedic and started studying medicine in his fifties. Dr Timoti Te Moke is now a fully qualified doctor on a mission to support children not given opportunities to thrive like himself.
In his book, The Unlikely Doctor, Timoti describes one moment in a prison cell - a glimpse of blue sky - which provided clarity and got him wondering if there was more to life. He speaks to Kathryn.
Dr Timoti Te Moke. Photo: Stephen Tilley
