A Kiwi fitness coach who has helped train international police forces is now bringing his knowledge back home.
Darren Folau has spent a large part of his career educating people on health and fitness and he's now sharing his philosophy with those who need it most.
His passion for fitness reached a new level when he was deployed by the New Zealand Police to the Solomon Islands for the Regional Assistance Mission otherwise known as the Ramsi Project, using his knowledge to get their police force in shape.
“Sadly there was an epidemic of preventable illness - diabetes, obesity, cancers, mental health issues, completely preventable and all related to lifestyle,” Folau says.
So he started developing fitness programmes.
“We called the project the jungle gym because it's a gym in the jungle,” he says.
He's now bringing that concept, back to New Zealand helping more than just police officers.
He arrived back home last year and was introduced to the Tangata Atumotu Trust a Pasifika healthcare provider.
“We came up with a plan to get our people off the couch and get our people healthy fit and strong, and to make it easy, take away the barriers and prevent our people from dying of preventable illness,” Folou told 1 NEWS.
Suli Tuitaupe from Tangata Atumotu Trust says the programme is welcome in the community.
"A lot of our work has been about inviting all flavours and all ages and all abilities, just to bring that sense of community," he says.
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