A Mongrel Mob member with a large facial tattoo that reads "notorious" has been given a job as a personal trainer.
Puk Kireka, 31, had feared his distinctive tattoo would make it impossible for him to gain employment as he aimed to turn his life around after two stints in prison.
"I know it will be hard to get a job with my tatts," Kireka told the NZ Herald.
"I will always be a mobster but it's important to show we can have better lifestyles. I want to bring some of the others on board this better lifestyle."
Today, Stuff reports that Kireka has been offered a job as a personal trainer by Hawke's Bay business owner Robbie Gale.
Mr Gale will also pay for Kireka to study sport and exercise science at the Eastern Institute of Technology.
"I have invested in Puk to teach him skills that will not only change his life but that of his future generations," Mr Gale told Stuff.
"I think if we all commit to helping just one person in their life, we could solve a lot of the problems that exist in our society."
Kireka is thankful for the opportunity handed to him.
"I feel pretty blessed, for someone to just reach out. He's gone and given me an opportunity that I need," he said.
"He wants me to stay on the straight and narrow and not fall back into bad habits."
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