Pictures: Tessa Burrows.
Te Ramanui Marriner is no stranger to the spotlight. Whether he’s behind his DJ decks, volunteering at Christchurch hospitals or dancing the night away, Te, as he’s known to friends and whānau, lives life with a full heart and infectious personality. Now the 28-year-old’s taking on an exciting new adventure – searching for love on TVNZ’s heartwarming reality show Down For Love.
For Te, being on the show is a dream come true.
“It was fun, but I was a bit nervous too,” he grins, recalling his dinner date on the Christchurch tram, which featured in last week’s episode.
Te’s mum Lisa Hortin says he has always wanted to find a special someone.
“He sees his twin brother Taonui having girlfriends, and wants to do the same things as his siblings and be part of that world,” she shares.
“We love that Te was able to experience a date on the show. It set the bar really high, with dinner on the tram, surrounded by the cameras, which he loved!”
Te’s intellectual disability – which affects his learning and fine motor skills – was caused by viral encephalitis, an airborne virus that he contracted when he was just three weeks old. The frightening illness caused his brain to swell, leaving scarring on his right frontal lobe.
Says Lisa, “I gave birth to two healthy boys. Then, Te contracting the virus was such a rare thing to happen. We had more chance of winning Lotto.”
She insists their fun-loving, supportive whānau has been careful not to let Te’s disability define him as he’s grown up.
“We never allowed Te to use the hospital card, and he had to obey the rules like his brother and sisters, Tineke and Lilly,” tells Lisa. “The rest of the whānau was never allowed to make fun of his disability either and we’re all very protective of him.”
Taonui laughs and says, “Te had no special treatment. He still had to eat his peas!”
The twins’ connection runs deep. Born as mirror twins – one right-handed, the other left – they have an unbreakable bond and even share matching tattoos.
“It’s hard to put into words,” admits Taonui. “Te is just Te. He’s one of a kind. Since we were little kids, we’ve been side by side.”
Taonui, a former barber, also features in Down For Love, helping Te get ready for his big night out and giving him a bit of dating advice.
“I thought the show was such a cool opportunity for him,” shares Taonui.
One of the unique ways Te processes the world is through music. As a child, he found it much easier to understand conversations when Lisa sang to him, rather than speaking.
“If I read a book to him, he’d lose interest after the first few words,” she recalls. “But if I sang it, he’d listen to the whole story. His brain works like a messy filing system and music just helps everything filter through more naturally.”
After spinning some tracks at family occasions, Te turned his passion for music and big speakers into a thriving DJ business in 2018. He now performs at 21st birthday parties, has done lots of gigs for disabled charities and has a 60th birthday party lined up later this year. He even has his own website, Instagram and TikTok pages for his business.
“Te really gets the dance floor pumping and likes to have a boogie too!” smiles Lisa.
“I love to dance,” agrees Te.
Another very big part of his life is a fascination with the medical world.
“Te has also always loved hospitals and ambulances,” shares Lisa. “When he was younger, I used to deliver the Metro bus timetables around the city. He’d always want to come, especially when we stopped at the hospital. He felt fascinated by wheelchairs, patients and how everything worked.”
He now volunteers at Christchurch Public Hospital and the Charity Hospital, helping lost visitors find their way, delivering flowers to patients and even pushing people in wheelchairs when they need assistance. “That’s my highlight,” Te says proudly.
Adds Lisa, “He just loves helping people and has a natural ability to connect with them.”
After two years flatting not far from home, Te’s returned to live with Lisa and her husband Chris, but he hopes to give flatting another try in the future.
Right now, he has focused on his journey on Down For Love. He has a TV in his room and says it was “really cool” to watch his episode.
“I’d like to go on another date,” he says, preferably with someone who likes the things he likes. “Going out dancing” is very high on the agenda, he shares.
Te’s whānau couldn’t be prouder to see their son and brother, a true gentleman with a big heart, take such an important step into the dating world.
“It’s such a fantastic opportunity,” enthuses Lisa. “People take dating for granted, but for many people with disabilities, they don’t often get that experience. Down For Love is opening doors and it’s beautiful to see.”
Down For Love screens 7.30pm Thursdays on TVNZ 1 and on TVNZ+.
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