Haka replay prompts big weight change

Rawiri Waititi, with daughter Te Ohanui, has shed 20kg and is not stopping there. Photo / Supplied

Rawiri Waititi has always been a big boy.

The Te Whanau A Apanui haka performer and Labour candidate for Waiariki in the last election said he was always the young fella running round the paddock in an effort to make the Tai Mitchell weight of 53kg.

"I guess I've always been bigger than my peers, bigger than my cuzzies, in fact bigger than most people around me," Mr Waititi said.

It was after Te Whanau A Apanui's winning performance at Te Matatini this year, Mr Waititi found himself watching a repeat of the event on the big screen.

"I was looking at myself thinking something has to change," he said.

And change has come. Shedding 20kg, Mr Waititi and his wife, Kiri Tamihere-Waititi, have just embarked on their second 12-week challenge and say they are feeling great.

"During my election campaign, I was talking about the health of our people and the health of our nation and I wasn't healthy myself. I figured if I wanted to fix the wairua [spirit] of the people, I needed to fix my wairua first. And I want to live a long time for my children."

With the support of his wife, Mr Waititi embarked on a 12-week food and fitness challenge under the eye of Tiare Tawera of Tawera Fitness.

"This guy is in our haka group and he's also a nutritionist. I asked him to give us a hand and he was more than happy to come on board.

"Since then, I think he's got almost the entire East Cape signed up."

The biggest thing for the Waititis was what they describe as less of a diet and more of a lifestyle change.

"I love food. You go to a marae and there's a hakari [feast] made up of all those good things Maori love. I've had to learn not only what to eat, but also how to eat."

He said little pleasures, like "real" butter and blue-top milk were not taken off the menu.

"Food shouldn't last forever so we've basically gone back to things that don't.

"And eating six small meals a day - that was unheard of. We only ever had three meals a day - but, boy, were they big ones."

The results for the Waititis, Kiri having lost 12kg, have spoken volumes to the people on the East Cape where the couple live. "We've had people say they've been inspired by our success," Mr Waititi said. "And if I can inspire people to better themselves, then that's a great thing.

"And I feel so much better within myself. It's a great feeling when your clothes get too big - it's not such a great feeling when you have to go out and buy some more."

He said come the next election, constituents would see a different person.

"I'll be running from one engagement to the next," he laughed.