Unfiltered with Dave Letele. Home to raw, honest & powerful conversations with inspiring guests — unpacking their life stories and the journey behind success.
New episodes every Sunday.
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#69 Tihei Harawira — Autism, Freestyle Rap & Finding His Own Path
This week, Dave sits down with entertainer, freestyle rapper and autism advocate Tihei Harawera for a kōrero about identity, resilience, family and finding your own path.
Growing up as the son of Hōne Harawira and grandson of Titewhai Harawira came with plenty of expectation. But as a teenager, Tihei made a decision to go his own way, turning to freestyle rap and eventually building a life around his extraordinary memory, creativity and ability to turn almost anything into a rhyme.
Tihei opens up about growing up autistic, feeling different, learning to forgive, the people who believed in him, and why he refuses to let other people define who he should be. He also puts his talent on full display with two incredible freestyles during the episode.
Today, Tihei is still dreaming big, studying towards becoming a filmmaker and continuing to use his story to encourage others to embrace who they are.
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This podcast is produced by the team at Fanaticals (https://www.fanaticals.co.nz)
Let us know what you thought of the conversation in the comments!
26 Sept 2026
#68 Paul Whatuira: Two NRL Premierships, Mental Health & Life After Footy
This week, Dave sits down with former Kiwi international and two-time NRL premiership winner Paul Whatuira for a kōrero about the incredible highs of professional sport, the struggles that followed, and rebuilding his life from the ground up.
Paul won premierships with both the Penrith Panthers and Wests Tigers and represented New Zealand, but behind those achievements were challenges that eventually forced him to step away from the game and completely rethink what life looked like after football.
He opens up about his mental health journey, the people who stood by him, and the work it took to rebuild his confidence and reconnect with his whānau.
Today, through 'Internal Strength', Paul uses those experiences to help rangatahi, athletes and communities build confidence, wellbeing and stronger futures.
Please help us keep Unfiltered going: https://buymeacoffee.com/unfilteredwithdave (https://buymeacoffee.com/unfilteredwithdave)
This podcast is produced by the team at Fanaticals (https://www.fanaticals.co.nz)
Let us know what you thought of the conversation in the comments!
19 Sept 2026
#67 Bhaskar Sharma: Growing Up in Māngere to Building @WhoIsBuskey
This week, Dave sits down with Bhaskar Sharma, better known online as @whoisbuskey for a kōrero about growing up in Māngere, finding his place, and turning a love of making people laugh into a career in content.
Bhaskar moved to New Zealand from India as a kid and grew up surrounded by Māori and Pasifika culture. After being bullied at school, he found confidence through martial arts and humour, before eventually dropping out of university to pursue acting and later building his own following online.
It’s a kōrero about identity, backing yourself, dealing with hate online, and how family, especially becoming a dad, changed the way he looks at success and what really matters.
Please help us keep Unfiltered going: https://buymeacoffee.com/unfilteredwithdave (https://buymeacoffee.com/unfilteredwithdave)
This podcast is produced by the team at Fanaticals (https://www.fanaticals.co.nz)
Let us know what you thought of the conversation in the comments!
Who has been a guest on Unfiltered With Dave Letele
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Manu Vatuvei
Loretta Hogg
Julia Pahina
Myles Gibbons
Johnnie Timu
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
734,856
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
3 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 35 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
33
Social presence
0
YouTube
93
Engagement
0
Contact Unfiltered With Dave Letele
Guest appearances
Does not typically book guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
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