Injured Whanganui rugby player Riana Tamati was going through her third of five surgeries when she started to think of others experiencing the same thing.
It inspired her to start her own business, The Zone, which includes a gym, supplement store, recovery centre and group classes to help others.
Tamati shares her story as part of the launch of NZME’s On The Up campaign showcasing stories of success, inspiration and possibilities.
After a series of injuries hampered her rugby career, Riana Tamati moved back home to Whanganui to begin the gruelling recovery process.
The halfback was Whanganui Metro’s player of the year in 2022 and had moved to Auckland to pursue rugby at a higher level.
But over 15 months, she faced five surgeries for a range of injuries including a broken wrist and thumb, dislocated shoulder, torn ligaments, and a snapped meniscus (knee cartilage).
Despite that, she was eager to get back to the sport and return to Auckland.
But she was unable to find the necessary support.
“I was trying to rehab to go back to Auckland but... I found it really hard to get into physios, recovery services, and training,” she said.
“I felt that I didn’t have the right support and resources to get back to where I needed to be.
“On the third surgery, I started to think, ‘What if there are other people going through the same process as me and is there a way I can help them?‘.
“I really wanted to provide something not just that I needed but also to help other people who are in the same situation.”
That inspired her to create The Zone, which has just opened on Glasgow St.
The Zone is a combination of an open-plan gym, supplement store, recovery centre, group classes, and a healthy dessert shop which Tamati created to support others.
“I’m just trying to help as many people as I can, that’s my passion,” she said.
“The goal is to make it more accessible for everyone by having it all in one place.
“It’s been such a cool journey in the process of getting it here.”
Tamati credits the support of people around her for getting to where she is.
The Zone offers classes including high intensity interval training (HIIT), endurofit, and mums and bubs sessions, and limited open-floor hours.
Tamati and fellow ex-rugby player Te Amorangi Karaitiana are The Zone’s personal trainers and coaches who have been running classes at The Rivercity Boxing Gym and Cooks Gardens since June 2024.
The Zone recovery centre also features an ice bath, infrared sauna, and Normatec air compression therapy.
Tamati was also inspired by the support from her trainers at the time she was going through the surgeries.
On more than one occasion, she arrived at training the morning after a surgery, still groggy and covered in pink dye.
“For them to trust me while I’m not fully able is something I want to be able to give [that] back to people,” she said.
“I just wanted to create a space that is affordable for people so that everyone can train, and also that’s open and welcoming so that everyone feels that they belong.”
Tamati coaches women’s rugby and some of the team have helped by working for free on opening day and setting up the gym.
“Without my village, this definitely would not be what it is,” she said.
She received a loan from Māori Women’s Development Inc (MWDI), a service which provides loans to Māori women wanting to start or expand a business.
“I struggled to be able to get a loan because this is a start-up, and I’m young, and I was on ACC,” she said.
She hopes that her ambition as a young business owner will inspire other young people, especially as someone who did not attend university.
“I hope to inspire other rangatahi, especially Māori, to give it a go,” Tamati said.
“I can’t wait to help other people to chase their goals, whether that’s business or health.”
The Zone is located at 178 Glasgow St.
Olivia Reid is a multimedia journalist based in Whanganui.
