Jono, Ben & Megan - The Podcast - Dave Letele opens up about his new show Heavyweight

Episode Date: August 2, 2023

Dave Letele looks at the impact of alcohol and addiction on individuals in New Zealand and opens up about his own struggles and what helped him through. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oh, thanks for having me. It's good to see you. Now, really, really interesting show that you've got tonight on TVNZ2. It's something that you say you've just seen for the first time and you feel hopeful at the end of it, which is awesome. Yeah, look, I hadn't seen the finished product right through and we watched it with some of our guests that were a part of the show as well as my parents and my wife.

And you know, there wasn't a dry eye in the studio, especially, you know, I'd never really seen my father cry, only once before at my sister's funeral. And this was the only other time, and it was just powerful. Yeah. Well, I mean, it's discussing important issues. Heavyweight is the name of it. What do you tell the audience what it's about? Yeah, look, you know, this is the first part of our three-part series where we're talking about this one's addictions but it's from our community perspective you know one thing we always say is that you know addictions obesity poverty suicide all these things don't know color they affect all of us right right across the spectrum so we're talking to a whole bunch of different people you know one thing we always say is it's possible.

You know, it's possible to break cycles. It's possible to overcome the struggle. Greatness comes from struggle, right? It's one thing to say it, but when you can see it firsthand by all these different people's experiences, and not only are we saying it, here's how they've done it.

We've got professionals on. We've got our interview, Andrew Costa. You know, we've got different health professionals, psychiatrists on, really digging deep down into the issues. What's your relationship like with Cuddles Costa, you know, we've got different health professionals, psychiatrists on, really digging deep down into the issues. What's your relationship like with Cattles Costa, the police commissioner? Are you on good terms? Yeah, well, now I am.

You know, from a very young age, I disliked the police. My first memory of the police was when I was three years old and they raided our house, you know, and took all my Christmas presents away. You know, it's, you know, only now I know it's, you I know it's not called stealing my Christmas presents, it's called confiscating. My father, he was the president of the mob, the Auckland chapter. So from that age, that was my first introduction to the system. And now I understand the police are another community group doing great work and we work alongside them.

But it was a great opportunity for me to sit down with him and I said that to him you know how can we minimize the the trauma on us children when we go through this because it's not our fault absolutely not yeah and there would be thousands of kids in that position they just from day dot grow up to go this organization is anti me and everything i stand for yeah and look i really i, I left, again, from him, I left hopeful. A lot of the conversation with him didn't quite make it to the cut.

It was just a chance for me to vent, really. He's like, is this an interview or what is this? Therapy session? But it was good because he doesn't normally sit down for those types of interviews. And it was really good and he comes across well. And the police actually want to use that show to show all of their,

you know, officers and new recruits. It's that powerful. Well, it sounds really inspiring, the show. And, you know, you're obviously talking to these people that are inspirational, but you yourself, I mean, you just talked about, you know, you're born to the leader of a gang. You grew you know you i was reading an article you said i should have been in jail i thought i was you know and you've done so many things you know not your boxing career as well as all the stuff you're doing now for the community you know you are so inspiring

yeah look i you know i should be the stuff i've gone through and done i should be dead or in jail yeah and it's a miracle i'm not. So I don't waste that miracle. I'm here to help and inspire as many people as possible. And this show is another platform. The show's not about me. It's got bits of my story entwined with it. I think that's what makes it powerful. Like interviewing Zach Guilford.

Yeah. He said to me, that's the most authentic interview he's ever given. And it's because I'm not a journalist. It's just two guys sitting down there talking about all the stuff-ups they've done. Because you met him at the Fight for Life and you were saying you could tell there was something going on underneath.

Yeah, look, he looked really good physically, he was in shape, but he was really shy and he had down, but he needed the money desperately. So he still went through with it. Because that's a fall from grace. The All Blacks are the pinnacle of New Zealand sports. We talk about going into the All Blacks, making it at 20. I think it'll open people's eyes up and they'll see him in a different light.

It was a really heartwarming interview with him. And he's destined for some even bigger things. It's easy to cast judgment reading a news story, isn't it? There's always another side to the story. And also giving people another chance. I feel like these days people don't get that second chance. You stuff up and things are on social media or things are in the news or whatever, and people just almost ignore that person and don't give a chance to learn and to grow.

That's what I'm hoping from the show is that people have some more empathy and understanding. A lot of the people you're dealing with in your community or the communities right across the city would struggle with addiction. Is there always a reason why they are addicted to something? People are dealing with pain and trauma. You know, I talked about it earlier. I went, I don't know if you saw my post, I went and visited an emergency housing where this family is paying, we are as taxpayers paying two and,500 a week for a place smaller than this with four kids and one solo dad living in it. The 14-year-old fell through the floor.

Jesus. So molded and just grotty. And when you see people living this way and the pain that they're going through, geez, it's no wonder a lot of the times. Well, it's escap a lot of the times. Yeah, it's escapism. Yeah, and it's so hard out there for so many Kiwis at the moment, right? You know, cost of living, everything. You know, it seems like from COVID, you know, there's a lot of crime.

There's a lot of stuff going through, you know. Like, what is the answer to try and to help everyone that needs it? I mean, it's a hard question to throw at you. Look, I believe our model that we use in BBM is community with the support of business and government. And not just this government or the next, all governments working long term. You have to walk alongside these families. And look, and that's what we're talking about in the series. You know, it's not, but it's not fashionable.

It's not popular to say, look, we're going to try and work on things to break the cycle for the grandkids. People want results right now. We're going to throw millions and millions and millions of dollars at things and they want results right now. But the government's only got three years. Yeah, you're right. And most of the time, very little of the promises they make around now actually come to fruition.

So you actually have to get all these political parties, the main ones together, and say, look, this is what we we're going to do let's agree and work long term to break these cycles because you're looking at the parents you've got to break it for their kids and their grandkids and it's this is it's long term right yeah yeah you're sort of talking 10 20 years sort of thing 100 when you see like you know we interview one lady called tanya on here who's overcome some massive struggles and you know she started off by, you know, we interview one lady called Tanya on here who's overcome some massive struggles. And, you know, she started off by saying, you know, I come from a long line of nothing. You know, we said to her, no, you don't.

Because, you know, our ancestors were chiefs and warriors. You know, you don't come from a long line of nothing. But, you know, when you think about choice, right, choice implies equal starting points. And for so many people, they're born so far behind the start line they can't even see it and that's just not equitable no no having dealt with the political system are you disheartened by the way it's set up start disheartened by the system yeah all that needs to happen right is you just need in any social issue any social issue that's affecting our communities you'll find the community group there doing it

on the ground dealing with the people with next to no resource if you just imagine the impact that they could have if you resource them properly stop resourcing large basically corporate mini governments that are not having an impact you know that they've got to pay for the big rents and all the company cars and all the stuff it's overheads of running it you know support the groups that understand how to make a dollar stretch because they have very little but that they had the impact is huge and like you say they're all out there they're all set up the government yeah we are there right now we're just lucky that we

haven't we have a profile so when I speak on behalf you know of what we do it's not just for me it's speaking for all the community groups that we support all the community groups that are there doing it with no profile turn up every day and do the money well i can't wait for to see it tonight uh butter being uh so i feel weird you you say butterbean motivation is yeah but you know it doesn't feel you don't feel like a butterbean anymore it feels like i'm i'm shaming you every time. It's a rebrand. Yeah. I've got brand equity now. You can't tell. He's like, I'm too late.

I never thought, you know, back when I used to come to your show, I was just to talk up the fights and be an idiot and talk like a raritan. You were 210 kgs? Yeah, 210 kilos. And I had to talk up like I was the best fighter in the world. But, you know, I couldn't box very well, but I could talk. He's like, plus I've got a puffer vest with, you know, I couldn't box very well, but I could talk. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He's like, plus I've got a puffer vest with BBM.

Now he can't change it. He can't. The branding's still in there. No, you do such amazing work, and I can't wait to see Heavyweight tonight on TVNZ. So thanks for your time. Thanks, team.