Tawera Nikau cracks the 'Code'

League star Tawera Nikau makes the jump from sport to television with ease. Herald file picture

Finally, a sports show delivered with a side-dish of hair hints. Tawera Nikau will be a newcomer to presenting when he makes his debut on Maori Television's new sports show Code tonight, but he brings with him impeccable credentials to pick out a decent mullet.

He knows he could make Maori Television responsible for a slump in New Zealand's OECD fashion rankings, but Nikau, who wore the Billy Ray Cyrus mop with pride, is remorseless. "I used to be the King of Mullets," he says and thinks this is a title worthy of placement on a CV.

His own mane of mullet hit the hairdresser's floor a few years back, but he thinks he's qualified enough to judge challengers to the throne from photos sent in by viewers.

Code is a new challenge for Nikau, the former Australian NRL champ who won public respect for his bounce-back after losing his wife to suicide, and enduring the destruction of his sports career when his leg was amputated after a motorcycle accident.

Since then the Tainui man has channelled his energies towards coaching at-risk youth and a league team in his hometown Huntly, as well as training for the Paralympics.

When Maori Television came knocking, Nikau thought, "Why not?"

"I thought I'd try something different, add another string to my bow. It's another challenge for me and I'm excited about it. Even though the camera adds on 20 pounds."

He's paired up with Silver Fern and New Zealand touch player Jenny-May Coffin, whom he has known for years and says is "a great personality, which could make the show a bit of a Beauty and the Beast thing, I suppose".

The last thing Nikau could be called is a shrinking violet.

"I'm very much the opposite. I never thought I'd do this sort of stuff, but most Maori are part-time actors when you're on the marae and stuff like that anyway. So a lot of it comes naturally and you've just got to laugh at yourself I suppose."

The Code crew is packed with good sporting credentials.

As well as Nikau and Coffin, the back row includes Rewa Hudson, New Zealand women's tennis champ in 1998 and 1999, who helps in interview segments and profiles up-and-coming sport stars.

Code has its compulsory jocks in Matua Parkinson - a former Super 12, New Zealand Maori and New Zealand Sevens rep - and Slade McFarland - also a Super 12 and rugby veteran.

Parkinson and McFarland don 70s flares, headbands, and nylon shirts to pair up as the Brofessionals and investigate the lighter side of sport.

Heard of Flair Bartendering? The Brofessionals have and they're here to share.

Whether or not they shape up to be the Maori Television equivalent of Matthew Ridge and Marc Ellis, Parkinson's hair must be the biggest to hit the screens since Marge Simpson.

Nikau says another highlight of Code is I-Spy, where the Code presenters snoop about a sports star's home, "talking about their passions, their cars, their dogs, their life".

The first shows feature Luke McAllister's souped-up Ford, and Rico Gear's dog, Jobo.

It is not all quirky segments, however.

Coffin and Nikau will do interviews with topical sports stars and Nikau says the show will cover the whole spectrum of sport - from windsurfing to league.

"It's about all sportspeople. Maori are in there, of course, but also people like Andrew Mehrtens. We'll have him on the show and others so it's not just focused on Maori."