Light in the dark

‘NO EXCUSES’: David Letele, aka Brown Buttabean, visited Te Karaka Area School this week “to learn what is happening here”. Mr Letele, students and staff are doing the hands sign for “no excuses”. While here, on behalf of his charity Buttabean Motivation, he donated $20,000 to the Te Karaka community. Mr Letele also went to Gisborne Intermediate School to share his message about not giving up and having no excuses. “I’ve been at the bottom and I’ve been at the top and everything in between . . . if I can do it, you can. No excuses.” Picture by Liam Clayton

THROUGH struggle can come greatness.

That was the message motivational speaker and former boxer David Letele AKA Brown Buttabean shared at Te Karaka Area School yesterday.

Mr Letele’s Buttabean Motivation (BBM) charity has been helping with the flood relief efforts in Auckland but he wanted to come to Te Karaka to visit people who had been impacted by Cyclone Gabrielle . . . “to learn what is happening here and take it back to the bureaucrats so we all know what is happening firsthand”.

“The message to the children was that we are all going through a massive struggle right now, but from that can come greatness. Don’t let this stop you.”

The people of Te Karaka were so resilient, he said.

“But they also need help. A lot of towns like this often get passed by, either flown over or driven through, so we wanted to actually connect the charity to where we are needed,” he said.

A welcome surprise was the donation of $20,000 to the community from the BBM charity.

“I know this will go a long way to help the community on top of what has already been donated,” he said.

“If you can help, you should. Most of the time organisations on the ground like schools, marae, they need investment of funds so they can utilise it the best way they know how to.”

BBM has been supported by Kiwibank and cryptocurrency company Binance.

TKAS principal Renae Savage said it was timely for him to visit the small community.

“It has been a dark time for a lot but there is light and it’s possible to overcome what has happened to us,” she said.

“The students did some research on him. A lot were interested in his boxing career but he brought more than that.

“We are so grateful for the $20,000 donation. It will go to where it needs to be, which is to whanau who have been displaced and need help.

“It’s been overwhelming to see hundreds and hundreds of people near and far offering their support — either showing up with shovels or bread and butter, or water, small donations to large donations. It’s very humbling for our community that people are wanting to help.”

Resident Patrick Roberts heard David Letele was going to Te Karaka and knew of the mahi he has been doing in Auckland.

“I wanted to thank him personally and show how grateful we are.”

Mr Roberts said his house was “toast” but not a write-off.

He thanked “anyone, anywhere” who had helped Te Karaka.

“I want people to know that our community and those who were most impacted by the flood — we are so grateful for the help we have received.

“It goes down to like a nanny and a moko walking around the corner to give a pot of chicken stew — that little humbling thing goes a long way in my book.”