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Tawera made his name in the highly competitive world of rugby league, playing with South Auckland club Otahuhu before starting his professional career in England with the Castleford Tigers. He later moved to Australia to join the Cronulla Sharks and then to the newly formed Melbourne Storm, where he was part of the 1999 premiership winning team.
A veteran of 19 tests for New Zealand as a forward, Tawera went on to captain the New Zealand Maori team at the rugby league world cup. He also played rugby league in England with Warrington including a Challenge Cup final at Wembley.
Following his retirement from professional sport, Tawera is committed to giving back to the communities that have given him so much. He was the top billed fighter at the 2002 Fight for Life, raising tens of thousands of dollars for suicide prevention. As acknowledgment for his contributions Tawera has recently been appointed as a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for Services to Rugby League and the community.
Tawera has successfully achieved his accreditation to teach the Team One PowerTrain development framework and has now become a Director of the company. He believes that it helped him to overcome personal setbacks including his accident and leg amputation and wants to teach it to others. He's also a popular league commentator and also coaches young league players
Tawera is an inspiration to anyone who has suffered adversity in their lives and a living example of someone who refuses to quit no matter how hard he is hit. He’s an excellent communicator, and people from all walks of life appreciate his down-to-earth presentation style.
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