Manu Vatuvei at the BBM / Brown Buttabean Motivation gymnasium in Manukau. Photo / Joseph Los'e
Manu Vatuvei at the BBM / Brown Buttabean Motivation gymnasium in Manukau. Photo / Joseph Los'e
Former Kiwi Manu Vatuvei is sharing details of his public fall from grace with high school students, revealing some of the pressures that led him into crime and what he plans to do with his “second chance”.
Vatuvei spoke at Auckland’s Aorere College with Dave Letele’s Buttabean Motivation (BBM) team, part of a visit sponsored by insurance giant NZI, and told students that he had been “lucky”.
“I was lucky enough. My talent was really good,” he said of his sporting abilities, noting that his academic achievements did not match up with his prowess on the rugby league field.
He said he also had the trust and support of family to pursue his athletic endeavours but struggled with the challenges that came with his NRL success.
“We have a situation where from 2002 upwards to 2017 he’d spent his life in a very structured environment,” his defence lawyer Vivienne Feyen said of Vatuvei’s Warriors career, telling the judge that her client’s life unravelled after his retirement from professional sport.
“It is apparent that he was ill-equipped to make these fundamental life transitions [after retirement]. That goes to the heart of his decision-making process, his reasoning,” she said.
He has since been working with Letele and BBM in their gym and community outreach programs.
“It wasn’t the best thing I’ve ever done,” Vatuvei told Aorere students of his brush with the law, “but now I can say I’ve got a second chance.”
He said he now had the right team backing him and allowing him to give back to the community through his words and actions.
Letele told the Herald that Vatuvei’s message was well-received by students, with long lines forming after his speech to pose for photos with the former Warrior.
He said Vatuvei’s message could be crucial to young people from deprived areas who found themselves at “a crossroad” and may be tempted to follow the gang members and drug dealers who flaunt their wealth on social media.
“We have to let them know the other side of that life, because it’s not like a 10-second video you see on TikTok.
“So Manu could talk to that and if it could happen to Manu,” Letele said of his conviction and imprisonment, “it could happen to anyone”.
He said Vatuvei told him it felt “amazing” to give back and that his burden had also been lessened by sharing it.
Letele said he had another event planned in July where Vatuvei would share his story at a fundraising event, and he wanted to take the message to schools around the country where at-risk youth might be steered away from the gang life.
