Dave Letele - Motivational Speaker, Community Leader, and Health Advocate

Dave Letele, known to many as “The Brown Buttabean,” is one of New Zealand’s most inspiring voices on transformation, community, and hope. From a background marked by poverty, gang life, and personal struggle, Dave turned his life around to become a professional boxer — and now a powerful advocate for health and wellbeing.

Through his Buttabean Motivation (BBM) movement, Dave has helped thousands of Kiwis take charge of their health, both physically and mentally. His free community programmes have supported people to lose weight, improve fitness, and rebuild confidence, no matter their starting point. In 2024, Dave’s South Auckland hub expanded further, providing food support, fitness training, and mental health services to those who need it most.

Dave’s journey is one of grit and heart. He’s raw and unfiltered when sharing his story, using humour and tough love to break down barriers and connect with people from all walks of life. In 2025, Dave continues to speak at schools, corporate events, and community gatherings nationwide, challenging audiences to make positive changes and look out for one another.

On stage, Dave is energetic, straight-talking, and deeply motivating. His message is clear: anyone can change their life if they’re willing to put in the work — and no one has to do it alone.

Ideal for:

  • Health and wellbeing summits

  • Corporate conferences and team-building events

  • Community and social impact gatherings

  • Youth empowerment and school programmes

  • Leadership and resilience workshops

Dave leaves audiences fired up to tackle challenges, support their teams and whānau, and take ownership of their journey — one step at a time.

Testimonials

TrailLite

Dave was awesome, well matched for us, connected so well with our audience and had a lot of strong motivating messages. He even got hugs from our guys afterwards, and the vibe after he left was uplifting!

Acrow

Dave’s relentless positivity is contagious, which makes him a perfect fit for our Leadership Development workshop. Dave’s life story is remarkable and as a guest speaker he strikes a perfect balance between being an incredibly engaging storyteller whilst weaving in messaging around hard-work and the importance of community and perseverance. All of which resonates perfectly with our team and has been having a really meaningful impact.

Silver Fern Farms

Dave was fabulous! He had a great vibe and was very relatable! He was inspiring!! We all loved him!

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