Where are they now: Kevin Tamati

The IronMaori multisport event is the only 'real activity' Kevin Tamati still does.

Most famous for a transtasman punch-up during an illustrious rugby league career, former Kiwi Kevin Tamati seldom reflects on his 1985 scuffle with Australian prop Greg Dowling.

Instead, he puts his energy into more worthy pursuits.

Tamati's involved with youth development in Hawke's Bay for Community Action Youth and Drugs (CAYAD), a Ministry of Health funded programme. His engagement as a community worker, or kaimahi, for the past six years was sparked by a conversation with long-time friend and former activist-turned youth worker Denis O'Reilly.

"It's looking at a healthier lifestyle and delivering programmes around alcohol, drugs and tobacco awareness for youth and their whanau," Tamati says.

He is also chairman of Rugby League Hawke's Bay, a role he admits has its challenges.

"I've found it trying. We are forever and a day competing with rugby union for players and facilities."

With Hawke's Bay spawning only one league international in the past 30 years, Tamati faces a daunting task. The most notable player to have emerged under Tamati's watch is Kiwis newcomer and Melbourne Storm utility Tohu Harris.

"He's the latest Kiwi Hawke's Bay can identify with. Prior to him was debuted in 1979.

Aside from youth work and rugby league, Tamati entered a business venture growing saffron a couple of years ago.

"The reason I grew it was because we have a whanau block of land that was available and just growing weeds. In the three to four years that we'd been going, we started supplying small restaurants around the country, it was quite lucrative."

Unfortunately, disaster struck just as the business was beginning to show promise. Brown-rot got into the saffron paddocks, bringing the project to a halt. "It decimated the bloody lot," Tamati says.

Moving to England in 1980, Tamati remained involved in league as a player, coach and then manager for various clubs, tasting success with Widnes and Warrington.

"It was great. It was a lifestyle change for my family and the career opportunities were great. We got spoilt with holidays in Spain, Greece, Turkey and all around the Mediterranean."

But that never undermined his belief that "home was home".

Returning to New Zealand in 2004, Tamati's biggest problem was deciding where to live. Staying with his sister-in-law provided the catalyst for change.

"One day she said to me, 'why don't you buy a house in Auckland?' I borrowed her car and dropped her at work but it took me an hour-and a- half to get to work and two hours to get home. I said 'stuff that'. I'd just left a traffic jam in the UK and there was no way I was going to live in one here."

Since then, Tamati has settled into Hawke's Bay which has allowed him to seek out new challenges.

His participation in the annual IronMaori multisport event for the past six years is one example of this, although he admits "it's the only real activity I still do".

Hawke's Bay has allowed him to give younger generations a chance to follow in his footsteps.

"I was fortunate to get my first cap in the 1979 Kiwis squad and when I resigned at the end of the 1985 test series, I'd had a good run."