This year has been massive for Marisiale “Siale” Tunoka. After donning a cloak in The Traitors NZ, the 43-year-old from Dunedin is set to appear as a detective on Shortland Street next week.
“It’s all happened at the same time – it’s crazy,” says Siale, who was able to keep his award-winning acting skills under the radar while on The Traitors to make it agonisingly close to the end.
He still feels “stink” about using his power as a Traitor to eliminate his closest ally, Utah Mann, but adds, “Though we had an agreement to take each other to the end, my focus was how I could do the best for my family at home.”
Despite his Traitors co-stars eventually voting him off at the final roundtable, Siale still feels victorious. “If it wasn’t me getting through, I was hoping for a Traitors win,” he explains, referring to his fellow baddie Bailey Kench, who took out the $73,000 prize in an emotional final vote. “She played the game moment to moment and I feel absolutely stoked for her.”
Siale jokes that his prize was even better – landing a role on Shorty. “It’s the pinnacle,” he says, although he admits he thought his original audition was a stitch-up. “I showed up and the others auditioning were very much not in my demographic.”
When producers offered him the part of investigator Jake Tavuki, he felt shocked. “A detective is a very cool role. I’ve been enjoying asking the hard questions and just… detecting.” He has taken inspiration from Jay Laga’aia’s character in Water Rats and Robbie Magasiva’s role in Dark City: The Cleaner.
Siale has previously appeared in the 2018 Shailene Woodley film Adrift. Then, more recently, the Netflix movie The Royal Treatment, which was filmed in Dunedin. “When that came out, people treated me like a celebrity,” he grins. “People there are really encouraging, so I can’t wait to see what they say about Shorty.”
As a registered teacher, Siale runs a programme called High Five. He visits primary schools to advocate for health and wellbeing by playing games, talking about mental wellness and pushing the importance of staying connected to whānau.
Teaching is a full-circle journey for Siale, who was “plucked from the beautiful white-sand beaches” of Fiji at age seven and moved to a country where he didn’t speak the language.
“I found it hard,” he recalls. “But now I recognise what kids are going through because it’s exactly what I went through.”
A proud figurehead for Fijian culture down south, Siale directed the award-winning Pasifika theatre show My Grandfather’s Canoe and recently served as the master of ceremonies for Otago Polyfest.
“It’s great doing our part for our community. I feel super inspired by people like Joe Fa’agase, who represented Pacific Island culture so hard on Traitors. I wanna do that too.”
Siale met his wife Jemma while playing music at a birthday party in Dunedin more than a decade ago. “She asked who sang the song I performed. I said, ‘Uh, I just did,’ and it all went from there.”
Siale has a son named Kali, 13, from a previous relationship, while Jemma is a mum to Iszac, 18, Ethan, 20, and Mya, 22. “They’re animals!” proud dad Siale jokes of their brood, before adding, “In a blended family, it’s important that the kids see how the parents relate to feel safe.”
An office manager for the Highlanders rugby team, Jemma is a massive support for Siale and inspired his latest fitness focus. He reveals, “I was super-fit as a kid but started eating all those snack foods we couldn’t afford growing up and I got stuck in that rhythm.”
After tearing his Achilles tendon, his weight soared to over 125kg. “I couldn’t tie my own laces, I struggled to sleep, I found it hard to breathe and I just felt bad about myself.”
Jemma dragged him to the doctor, where he discovered he had high iron levels due to a liver condition. A colonoscopy revealed even more – cancerous nodules in his bowel. “I felt fully freaked out. I convinced myself this was the end, and I genuinely thought it was.”
Siale had lost several good friends to bowel cancer, all of them under 30. “It was scary because they passed away within four to six months of diagnosis. It made me ask more questions and get the doctors to check me out.”
Thankfully, Siale’s condition turned out to be manageable. He now undergoes regular monitoring, and his dedication to his workouts has broken weight-loss records at his gym. He’s keen to share his experience, especially with the Pasifika community, who often avoid discussing personal issues.
“If you’re not feeling good, ask someone about it. I’ve seen too many mates gone before their time. And take your wife with you – she’ll ask the questions you’re too afraid to!”
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