At BBM Manukau, redemption and resilience power every rep.
Former NRL star Manu Vatuvei is leading fitness classes at Brown Buttabean Motivation (BBM), a free community gym founded by Dave Letele to tackle obesity among Māori and Pasifika communities.
“To me BBM, wherever we are, it’s a symbol of hope and you know we are activists for change so it’s pretty amazing, I feel really blessed,” says Letele.
Vatuvei, once nicknamed ‘The Beast’, is now inspiring others as he rebuilds his life after a dramatic fall from grace.
“You should be proud, you should be confident in yourselves that you can do it alright, don’t even doubt yourself,” he tells participants.
In 2022, Vatuvei was sentenced to three years and seven months for his involvement in a methamphetamine importation ring.
“I kind of broke when that story came out… went on a spiral of wanting to take my own life,” he recalls.
Now free on parole, his focus is on helping others avoid the same path.
“I always think back, do I want to go back there?… I’ll never do that again.”
His mother, Sālote, never gave up hope: “Pray… even if it’s small. God will provide.”
