Maateiwarangi Heta Morris
Maateiwarangi Heta Morris (Te Arawa; Ngāti Awa; Ngā Puhi) started out arm wrestling on rubbish bins in high school in Rotorua, and credits his journey in the sport as saving his life.
He now holds the New Zealand record for bench press and has been the Aotearoa Arm Wrestling Champion since 2012 - with his stature and strength earning him the moniker of 'The Beast'. He currently holds 4 Oceania titles, 6 Australasian titles and is the AWE Intercontinental champ 2023. He has also trained in Judo and Kickboxing, and is starting to explore Mau rākau.
Over the past year Maateiwarangi has landed roles in two upcoming New Zealand productions: Bust Up and Rapunga, both being released in 2026 - with another international project yet to be announced.
With a combined social media following in the hundreds of thousands, Maateiwarangi is dedicated to giving back by mentoring those coming up through the ranks, making a huge impact outside the relatively close-knit community of the sports he excels in. When he isn’t filming, or dominating his chosen sports, he can be found tā moko tattooing at his studio in Hamilton.
Hair Colour
Black
Location
Hamilton | Kirikiriroa
Age Range
28 - 40
Ethnicity
Māori
Height
190cm
Eye Colour
Brown
Full CV
-
Television
2025 - Bust Up - Sonny (recurring) - Lippy Pictures
2025 - Rapunga - Pare (core cast) - Cinco Cine
2021 - Vegas - Hohepa Phillips - Greenstone Television -
2022 - 2012 - NZ Arm Wrestling Champion
2019 - Arnold Classic Arm Wrestling Champion
2017 - Arnold Classic Arm Wrestling Champion
Four times Oceania Arm Wrestling Champion -
Arm Wrestling
Bench Press
Tā moko
Languages - Te Reo Māori (intermediate)
Content Creator
Instagram followers:
16,000
TikTok followers:
295,900
Facebook followers:
