“I grew up in a three bedroom house in Mangere but it was always overcrowded. We had about eleven people living there at one time and that was considered normal to us. We didn’t have a lot of money so we often had boil up meals with cheap cuts of meat.
My upbringing has helped me to empathise with some of the same struggles many Pacific families go through, especially around healthy eating. It’s not easy to feed large families but it is really important to try. My wife and I have learnt to budget $20 per meal to feed our family of six. That includes lots of stir fries and bulking the pan up with vegetables.
My motivation is my family. I want to be an active father and husband and as parents we want to be good role models for our kids. We believe that what we teach now will be repeated in their own lives and families as they grow up.”
