Pati, a musician and disability advocate, became a quadriplegic in 2005 when he slipped in the shower and broke his neck. In 2012, he was awarded a QSM for services to the Pacific community. In 2013, Pati was appointed by Minister Tariana Turia as one of four Whānau Ora champions. In 2019 he was the inaugural winner of the CNZ Pacific Arts Toa Awards and that same year was inducted into the Attitude Awards Hall of Fame.