Gears of War: E-Day star and Aotearoa Arm Wrestling Champion - Maateiwarangi Heta-Morris!

Saturday October 24th
11am to 3pm only
Meet Maateiwarangi Heta-Morris at the R16 gaming area

Meet Maateiwarangi Heta-Morris, Aotearoa Arm Wrestling Champion and portrayer of Tai Kaliso in Gears of War: E-Day! He will be in the R16 gaming area - you can play against him in Gears of War, take selfies, get your cases signed and more!

Maateiwarangi Heta Morris (Te Arawa; Ngati Awa; Nga 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 rakau.

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 ta moko tattooing at his studio in Hamilton.