Experienced OT Emma-Kate Smith has benefited from Cubro’s advice, expertise and solutions for many years so she’s delighted to now join our team herself and be able to support others as a community Solutions Specialist.

“I’ve been on the receiving end of this role for a long time. Like most OTs, I do this job to help people and to make a difference in their lives. That’s the most rewarding thing and what I’m looking forward to most about this job,” she says.

Emma-Kate has broad experience working as an OT in both New Zealand and Western Australia after graduating from AUT in 2007. For the past decade she has worked with ACC clients in Tauranga to provide equipment and support their independence and rehabilitation programs. She is excited to take over this role from Sophie Lister, who has recently changed her focus and is now a Solutions Specialist in the Wheelchair and Seating division at Cubro. Emma-Kate will now take over Sophie’s original role.

“I’ll be primarily working with OTs and physios south of the Bombays, across the Bay of Plenty, Lakes district, the Waikato and right down to Gisborne. I’ll attend trial appointments with their clients to show them different equipment options – everything from bathroom equipment to beds, mattresses, hoists and everything else Cubro does. I’ll help tailor the fit to each client and they can then trial the equipment to make sure it meets their needs before purchasing.”

Emma-Kate says having detailed product knowledge and being able to tweak the equipment is paramount to a good outcome. “Cubro does a lot of customisation which is unusual but awesome. Sometimes with a supplier, what you get is what you get. So knowing all the options, and then being able to get it sorted in the workshop and adjusting it as needed at an appointment, is invaluable.

“Being able to build rapport with both the therapists and the clients is huge as well. At the end of the day, you want to walk away from an appointment knowing that you’ve made that person’s life better by what equipment has been put in place.”

As a mother of two young children (aged 6 and 3), Emma-Kate is always on the go. “As a family, we do a lot of boating – Lake Tarawera in Rotorua is our favourite spot. And we enjoy hiking around that area as well. I go up the Mount a few times a week if I can. We’re pretty active and I love being outdoors.”