Kāhu ki Rotorua: Arapeta Werahiko - couch potato to Muay Thai champ

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He kumu noho kau, he kumu kūwhewhewhewhe, he kumu karapetau wheturangitia, mau tonu, mau tonu.

Ko te kī a ngā toa onamata, tahia te marae kia tu te hokotahi. Ko Arapeta Werahiko tō tātou ohu totara tu marae ki te ao whawhai o Muay Thai. Kātahi nei a Arapeta ka kotahi tekau mā waru te rahi.

He toa tupu mai i Rotorua e titiro pae whiti atu ki ngā Taumāhekeheke o te Ao ka tu ki Parī hai te e rua mano e rua tekau mā wha te tau, ko te take he kimi koura mītara mā tona whānau.

Ko Wayne Waitoa tōna whakaruruhau waihoki tōna ika-a-whiro, hai tāna ko te mea nui kia aro te pia nei me ōna whakaaro ki te huarahi whawhai nei, ka rua ko te whakaapaapa piro. Ko te pae tuatahi kia uru atu ia ki te tima whakataetae o Aotearoa mō ngā

Taumāhekeheke o te Ao. Ko te tikanga ka whakatōpūngia tokowarungia e hia kē ngā rōpū whakataetae, ka whawhai tētehi ki tētehi ko te toa whakamutunga e tu ana, koia te ohu totara.

Hai te Paengāwhawha o tēnei tau timatangia ai tēnei whakataetae. Ko te pae tuarua, ko te whakataetae a Ao nei ka tu ki Abu Dhabi a te Oketopa- "Mēnā ko te tima o Aotearoa tō whāinga – ka tukuna e koe tou tinana ki te mura o te ahi, kare he titiro ki te ao marama".

Ko tētehi anō hōnore kua pūāwaingia mai ko te whakataetae mo te hunga taipakeke, te hunga kotahi mā waru ki te e rua tekau mā toru te pakeke. Whoi anō, he tautohito kē a Arapeta ki te ātea o nui o Marutewhareaitu.

He pou whawhai hoki a Arapeta mā te tima o Aotearoa i whakataetae kētia e ia ki te whenua o Pōrana nōna e torekaihuruhuru ana ka wikitoria e ia kia rua ngā metara hiriwa me te metara rauwhero. Ka hipa e rua o ngā tau, ka whakaihuwaka ia i te whaktaetae nui i Whakatāne.

"Mai i te hamuti ki naianei ko te ao e takoto ana ki mua i a ia, e hika mā e rua tekau noa tana rahi e whakataetae ana ki ngā Taumāhekeheke nui o te Ao".

Hei tā Wayne. I te tau kua hori ka wikitoria e ia te whakataetae mekemeke kau tuatahi i Aotearoa i tu ki Tauranga. Ko te hokinga whawhai tuarua ki tētehi o ngā ito tawhito nana tonu i tūrakingia i ngā tau kua hori, whoi anō ka hinga anō i a Arapeta i whiwhi ai ia ki tōna tatua whawhai tuatahi.

"He taniwha a Arapeta ki te whawhai he kotahi tekau mā whitu noa te pakeke e riri atu ana ki tētehi tangata e toru tekau mā toru te pakeke ",hai tā Wayne. I tino whakamihia rāua i tēnei whakataetae engari he mōhio hoki nō rāua ma te tuku werawera e ekengia ai ngā ngaru pakari. Whoi anō he waimarie kai kōnei rāua inaianei.

He ara anō i whakatata mai ki a ia. Nō Reporoa tōna matua tāne, nō Ngāti Pikiao tona māmā. Ko Te Takinga te marae.

Ka nui tana whakamihi ki a Wayne tōna pāpā whakaangi, tōna whaea kaokaoroa me tōna matua tāne kaokaoroa nā rātou i tō mai i a ia i te ao o te waipiro me te tarutaru ki te ao o te hauora.

Arapeta Werahiko wins Silver Belt for the mortal combat fight night in 2020. To his left is fellow fighter Ronnie Lee and to his right is coach Wayne Wairoa. Photo/Supplied

"Nā taku pāpā whakaangi ahau i tō mai i taku rūmā ko tāku noa he pūrei kēmū, otia he moumou taimā, nānā ahau i ako ki te whakatika i taku oranga kia ū noa ki te kaha o te mahi e puta ai ngā painga".

"Ka uru hoki mai oku hoa ki te whare whakapakri tinana, katahi ahau ka tino whakapau kaha – he whakapakari kia pakari !".

I whānau mai a Arapeta i Rotorua he tauira tawhito nō te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Hurungaterangi kātahi ia ka haere ki Raukura, he kura tama tāne kai te puku o te taone.

Nō Ngāti Kahungunu a Wayne Wairoa nō te whānau Smith, ko etehi o ōna pakeke i mahi pāmu ki Horohoro i te wā o Tā Apirana Ngata.

He whāngai hoki ia i tupu mai i Porirua. Kua roa a Wayne e noho nei ki Rotorua i tae mai ia i te tau kotahi mano e iwa rau e iwa tekau ko tōna ao ko te wawao kai te whānau o Budokan Martial Arts Centre ia e mahita ana.

Tokowaru āna tamariki, tokorua āna mokopuna kai Perth tētehi o āna tamāhine e wawao muay thai ana. Kai te hiakai hoki taku mokopuna engari anō tētehi he makarauna noa tāna.

Kua aua noa atu ana tauira i ngā tau kua hori, engari ko Arapeta tana kōtiri muramura. Ka nui tana whakapono ki te wairua o Arapeta, ko te mea nui, me pakari ia ka rua, kua hiahia ki te hau atu ki te whawhai.

Hai tapirihanga ki tēnei he mahi tahi te whakapakari i a Arapeta mēnā e oma ana he kotahi tekau kiromita te roa ia poōkai reira a Wayne ki te whakaakiaki i a ia kai tae mai te ngēngē ki tona wairua.

Enagri te pātai anō hoki, he aha te take kai te whakapau kaha hoki a Wayne?

Hai tāna, "He whakahoki mana ki te hapori, he aroha nōku, engari tuturu, he toa tēnei tama, he uho tawa te ngākau – he tāiki ngāpara he toa!".

From couch potato to winner of multiple global and national titles in just three years has made Arapeta Werahiko the toast of the muay thai world.

Though the Rotorua fighter is only 18 years old he has even greater dreams — gold at the Paris Olympics in 2024.

Trainer and mentor Wayne Wairoa has absolute faith in his protege, so long as "the kid" keeps his mind on the job and continues to rack up competition points.

The first step is making the New Zealand Olympic team. Groups of eight will take each other on and fought on a last-man standing basis. They are due to be held in April.

Then there are the world championships at Abu Dhabi in October to get out of the way.

"When you go for the New Zealand team you put your body on the line," said Wayne.

Arapeta also has the chance to perform in the 18-23 year age group championships.
He is no stranger to the world stage.

As a member of the New Zealand team in Poland not long after he started the sport, Arapeta won two silver medals and one bronze.

Two years later he won his first national title at a competition in Whakatane.

"He's come from nothing and look what he's achieved. He's still got a lot going for him. He'll only be 20 at the Olympics," said Wayne.

Kua 3 tau inaianei a Wayne e kaha whakapakari, e akiaki ana i nga pukenga Muay Thai a Arapeta. Whakaahua / Homaitanga

Last year he won the title at the first bare knuckle contest in Aotearoa and hosted at Tauranga.

It was essentially a rematch against the man he beat for his first title.

"You should have seen him. A 17-year-old took out a 33-year-old," said Wayne.
The pair were buoyed by that success and know that hard work will bring even greater rewards.

But it could have been very different.

On his father's side Arapeta has whakapapa to Reporoa and on his mother's he is Ngati Pikiao. Te Takinga is his marae.

He thanks Wayne and his adoptive parents, his aunt and uncle, for taking him away from a life of drinking and drugs.

"My stepdad got me out of my room where I was playing games and got me to be active. As well, I had to learn to work for what I wanted.

"I had to keep active.

"But I really got into it when my mates joined the gym too."

Arapeta was born and raised in Rotorua and attended Te Kura Kaupapa Maori O Hurunga Te Rangi and Raukura.

Wayne Wairoa is a member of the Smith whanau from Ngati Kahungunu, some of whom farmed at Horohoro under the scheme introduced by Apirana Ngata.

He was adopted by members of his extended whanau and raised in Porirua.
Wayne has lived in Rotorua since 1990 and has been associated with martial arts most of his life. He is a member of the Budokan martial arts centre.

"I had my first fight in 1982 and my last at age 50. That was eight years ago and man it was tough.

"Time to get out."

Wayne has eight children and two mokopuna and a daughter in Perth still practises muay thai.

One moko is keen, the other mucks around.

He has trained a number of fighters from the Sunset Road-Fordlands area but Arapeta is the standout.

He believes Arapeta can achieve anything he dreams — so long as he is fit and prepared.

To that end Wayne accompanies Arapeta on his fitness building 10km runs night, and is there to provide that extra encouragement when the going gets tough.

And why does he do it?

"To give back to my community and because this kid is a good, honest fighter."