Bashed man back on mend

Trevor Kaukau fronting a Greenpeace protest over deep-sea oil drilling. Photo / Greenpeace

Twenty-three days ago Trevor Kaukau was living the life of a normal 40-year-old man, out with friends at a nightclub in central Auckland. One punch and a fall later and life as he knew it was over.

Mr Kaukau, now 41, will spend the foreseeable future recovering - slowly - from a brain injury he suffered after he was hurt in the early hours on Karangahape Rd.

It is understood he was hit, fell backwards and struck his head leading to a severe fracture of his skull that violently forced his brain forward.

Mr Kaukau was put in an induced coma and had several operations to relieve pressure on his brain, including one where part of his skull was removed.

He was eventually brought out of the coma and was moving his hand. But three days later he stopped showing signs of progress.

His family were told to prepare for the worst and had scheduled a family meeting to discuss their options when things began to turn around.

After they left the hospital he began moving again, squeezed a nurse's hand and poked out his tongue when asked - a positive sign in terms of his brain function.

"It was a huge relief ... now he's on the track to recovery," his sister Rebecca Kaukau said.

"The doctors said from the start that the situation was really severe and if he made it through it would be a really long journey."

Mr Kaukau's recovery is in the early stages. His doctors and specialists are still working to establish what the extent of his brain damage is, what he will have to relearn and what he won't be able to do again.

He is communicating by blinking, using his eyebrows and mouthing words. He cannot speak because of a tube in his throat, which will be removed when doctors are confident he can breathe, swallow and cough without assistance.

"I think that because of the fact we could have lost him time and time again in that first week, everything he's doing now and from here on out is a blessing," Ms Kaukau said.

A speech and language therapist is working with Mr Kaukau, teaching him how to move his mouth and use his tongue muscles again.

A physiotherapist is looking at his muscles and joints to see what he can use and training his body how to sit up.

An occupational therapist is working on his memory, establishing how much he has lost and working with him to regenerate as much as possible.

It's a long way from the striking image of Mr Kaukau fronting a Greenpeace advertising campaign - coated in oil on a beach - protesting against deep sea oil drilling.

"Some time in the next two weeks he'll go to the rehab centre. We're trying to figure out what we're going to do for him in the long term, but we just don't know," Ms Kaukau said.

"We don't know what he needs to relearn and how long that will take. It's not a mathematical equation, they can't tell us the answer. It doesn't work like that. And we'd be pretty naive if we thought they could give us answers."

Mr Kaukau is starting to get movement back on his right side, moving his hand and wriggling his toes. His left arm and leg are strong, so much so that they have to be restrained unless a family member is with him.

"As soon as he could move his hand he was starting to feel his head all the time. It was concave and he could feel it wasn't right. We have to tell him not to touch it and that he's hurt his head. We have to keep reminding him because five minutes later, his hand is back on his head."

The family have not told Mr Kaukau how he hurt his head.

Part-time storeman Langi Koloamatangi, 20, has been charged with assaulting Mr Kaukau and will reappear in the Auckland District Court this week.