It all starts here: The house next door was family too
Lisa Tai’s parents once bought a strip of land in West Auckland with another Fijian family they’d barely met. They happened to share the same last name and were navigating the very same stage of life, so together they subdivided the section and built two almost identical homes side by side. The two families lived there for nearly 20 years - and became family.
In this episode of It all starts here, Sarah Wood, CEO of realestate.co.nz, sits down with Lisa, who spent nearly two decades at Deloitte, rising to partner and establishing the firm’s Pacific Services Group before stepping away to lead Ronald McDonald House Charities New Zealand. She reflects on arriving in Auckland as a four-year-old after the coup in Fiji, growing up in a caravan through her first New Zealand winter, and why six months into leading an organisation built around giving families a home away from home has only strengthened what home has always meant to her: wherever her family is.
Highlights#
- Lisa left Fiji at age four, straight after the 1987 coup, and landed in West Auckland in the middle of winter with very little. The whole family of five lived in her dad’s boss’s caravan.
- Her parents later bought land in West Harbour with another Fijian family they’d just met, at exactly the same stage of life. They subdivided it, built near identical houses side by side, and raised their kids together for about twenty years.
- Nineteen years at Deloitte took her from graduate to partner. She also built the firm’s dedicated Pacific Services Group, opening a path into corporate careers for young Pacific people. Six months into running Ronald McDonald House Charities New Zealand, she is overseeing houses in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Invercargill that gave 4,200 families almost 46,000 nights of accommodation in 2025, plus an onsite school so siblings do not fall behind while a brother or sister is in hospital.
- Her dad has since signed up as a volunteer, doing the Auckland house’s food deliveries and donation pickups every Tuesday. Ronald McDonald House has become a family affair.
- The photos on her wall, and a tapa cloth gifted by family in Fiji, are what she says she would carry into the next home - reminders for her children of relatives they will never meet.
Lisa Tai shares her journey from Fiji to West Auckland, and why family, community and culture have always defined what home means.
A new beginning in West Auckland#
Lisa was just four years old when her parents made the difficult decision to leave Fiji after the country’s first coup. They arrived in New Zealand during the middle of winter with little to nothing, spending their first months living in her father’s boss’s caravan in Kumeū.
While the circumstances were challenging, Lisa says those early memories taught her that home wasn’t defined by a place, but by being together as a family.
“Home has been wherever my family is and the journey that we’ve taken over the last four decades.”
The neighbours who became family#
One of the defining chapters of Lisa’s childhood began when her parents bought their first home in West Auckland. There, they met another Fijian family who had recently migrated to New Zealand and were navigating almost identical circumstances. Together, the two families purchased one section, subdivided it and built matching homes side by side.
Although they weren’t related, they lived like an extended family for more than 20 years, sharing celebrations, raising children together and creating the kind of community that shaped Lisa’s understanding of home.
Why education is a non-negotiable#
Lisa’s parents moved to New Zealand to give their children greater educational opportunities, and that value became central to family life. She credits their sacrifices with enabling all three siblings to graduate from university, and today she’s instilling the same priorities in her own children.
As the parent of sporty kids, she jokes that homework rarely wins over basketball, but the message is clear: education is both a privilege and a pathway to opportunity.
Finding purpose beyond the boardroom#
After 19 years at Deloitte, where she rose from graduate to partner, Lisa stepped away from corporate life to lead New Zealand's Ronald McDonald House. She described the decision as both exciting and intimidating, but driven by a desire to use her experience to serve families facing incredibly difficult circumstances.
Today, she leads an organisation that provides accommodation, meals and wraparound support for families whose children are receiving hospital treatment, helping keep loved ones close during some of life’s hardest moments.
The purpose of our organisation is to keep families close and together when their child is in hospital.
A home away from home#
One of Lisa’s favourite spaces inside Ronald McDonald House is its on-site school. The programme helps siblings and young patients stay connected with their education while living away from home, providing a sense of routine during an otherwise uncertain time.
It’s a practical reminder that home isn’t only about shelter - it’s about creating stability, comfort and connection when families need it most.
What home looks like today#
Life now is a little different from the caravan days. Lisa’s home in Onehunga is full of children, grandparents, sports gear and constant movement, but she believes the purpose of home has remained remarkably consistent.
She says the greatest privilege is having three generations living together under one roof, creating a space where extended family and friends can gather, celebrate and support one another.
The little red brick house that started it all#
The first home she and her husband bought together was a modest three-bedroom brick home in Henderson. It wasn’t luxury, but it was exactly what their young family needed, and both of their children spent their earliest years there.
“It was small, but it had everything that we possibly needed," she says.
Returning to Fiji with the next generation#
Although Lisa has built her life in New Zealand, Fiji has never stopped feeling like home. It’s where her extended family, ancestors and deepest sense of belonging remain, and returning there is something she prioritises with her own children.
“When you say the word home, my mind immediately jumps to Fiji.”
She says reconnecting them with their homeland is just as important as their education, giving them an understanding of where they come from and the family story that began long before they were born. For Lisa, home isn’t limited to one country - it’s the connection between both.
A dream property built around community#
If she won Lotto tomorrow, Lisa wouldn’t disappear to a secluded estate. Her dream is surprisingly familiar: a large piece of land by the beach where family and close friends could build homes together, with plenty of shared space for barbecues, swimming and children playing outside.
“I would love to build on a bit of land, sell some of it to our friends, and essentially have a little community or village of people we know within walking distance. It would have a swimming pool for the kids, a half court for them... if I won the Lotto tomorrow, it would be a big bit of land near the beach, probably in Fiji, somewhere warm, where we’re just all hanging out, having a barbecue.”
If Lisa’s story has stayed with you, Ronald McDonald House Charities New Zealand relies on donations, fundraising and volunteers to keep families close when a child is in hospital. Find out how to give your time or support at rmhc.org.nz.
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Host Bio #
Sarah Wood is the Chief Executive Officer of realestate.co.nz, New Zealand's longest-standing property website, which has been helping people find their perfect property since 1996 (even before Google). Since taking the helm in 2019, she has led the organisation through a period of innovation and growth, helping position it as one of New Zealand's leading technology businesses.
