John Ah Kuoi
| Full name | John Joseph Ah Kuoi | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 14 July 1957 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Samoa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable relative(s) | John Kirwan = (brother-in-law) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Tuaopepe John Joseph Ah Kuoi (born 14 July 1957) is a former Samoan rugby union player. He played as a centre.
Career
John Ah Kuoi comes from a prominent Samoan family, with Chinese heritage as well. He came to Auckland as a 12-year-old for his schooling, but kept his ties with Samoa, representing the country in 12 rugby tests in the 1980s.[1] He played for Auckland in the NPC in the 1980s. His first cap for Samoa was during a match against Fiji, at Suva, on 22 August 1987 and his last cap was against Tonga, at Tokyo, on 11 April 1990.
Personal life
On leaving school, he gained a private pilot licence, but the career in aviation he had hoped for didn’t materialise. He married his high school girlfriend and got his first taste of insurance, as a salesman. The couple moved to Italy for a year, where John played rugby with his brother in law, All Black John Kirwan.
After returning to New Zealand, John work in a business that sells uniforms, soon branching out with his own sports uniform business. Together with Sue, he ran this business for 19 years. In 2009, he came full circle – returning to his first job as insurance advisor, this time with the Maurice Trapp Group. His reasoning was simple: Not everyone needs uniforms, but everyone needs insurance!
Now a Registered Financial Advisor (RFA), John enjoys what he does. “I love it – it’s about helping people. There’s a tremendous feelgood element when you’ve done something and see how relieved clients are when they realise they’re covered, on their budget.”
When he’s not working, John loves a round of golf, and has kept active in rugby coaching for many years.