In brief

  • School of Sport alumni Missy Pelu completed Certificate in Exercise (Level 4) in 2025 and is now a junior coach at Brown Pride CrossFit South Auckland.
  • Missy draws on his performing arts background to make exercise more engaging for young people across school, gym and community programmes.

Missy Pelu is bringing together two different parts of his background to help young people across south Auckland become more active.

The junior coach at Brown Pride CrossFit South Auckland completed the Certificate in Exercise (Level 4) in 2025 and now works with young people through school, gym and community programmes.

But alongside what he learnt about exercise, programming and health with us, Missy draws on another set of skills when he is coaching – his background in performing arts.

The experience of performing for young audiences taught him how important it was to keep children engaged.

“I thought if I was able to incorporate some performing arts skills, it would make it fun for kids” he says.

That means changing the way an exercise is explained or turning it into a game.

“I try and make everything into a game. Like how trying to get kids to do a squat, burpee, it’s already hard enough.”

So, instead, Missy uses a balloon to turn burpees into a challenge, asking children to keep it in the air while completing the movement and catching it again.

“It just makes it more fun and engaging for the kids.”

A different path into exercise

Before moving into fitness, Missy had a background in performing arts where he toured in a children’s production with Auckland Theatre Company while working as a furniture mover.

An injury forced him to reconsider his work, using it as an opportunity to learn more about the body and health.

The knowledge of Sports School lecturers helped build his understanding of areas including nutrition, health and lifestyle, and exercise programming.

“The teachers were really helpful. It helped as well that they were passionate about their own crafts.”

Senior Lecturer in the School of Sport Rob Gambolati, who taught Missy during the programme, remembers him arriving with a level of confidence working with people that was not always common among students at that stage of study.

“He came with that ability to really connect with other people and that confidence that you don’t often get from students, especially in a level 4 program.”

Taking his skills into the community

Brown Pride CrossFit South Auckland has played a central role in Missy’s transition from study into coaching.

Initially joining the gym as a member, he later completed his placement hours there. The gym also provided him with its Train the Trainers programme, helping Missy move into coaching and community-based work.

Since completing his studies, Missy has worked across a number of programmes involving children and teenagers. Working with students from three local high school through the eight-week J.A.M, Next Gen and Future Stars programmes.

For Missy, training younger participants has reinforced the importance of finding ways to hold their attention.

“The way I see it is if they’re bored and they’re not engaged, that’s my fault.”

Making movement something young people want to return to

Gambolati says creating those positive experiences has become increasingly important as young people have more reasons to spend their time inactive.

“You do your best to provide an environment that is fun and engaging and exciting and different and something that people want to come back to.”

For young people who may initially find exercise difficult, he says that experience can influence whether they persist with it.

“We need more people like Missy to be in those spaces that understands that and can make it fun and enjoyable for especially young people that offers them that opportunity to kind of go, actually, I can do this.”

Missy says he sees that change during his own programmes, particularly among children who arrive feeling shy or uncertain about what they can do.

“I enjoy seeing kids learning, just learning about physical health. I think something that they’re probably going to remember for life, which is important just for growing up.

“Some of them don’t have access to knowledge. So, the fact that they’re learning as a kid, I feel like they can remember this for life. It will help them in the future.”

Beyond school programmes

Missy’s coaching is also taking him beyond youth programmes.

He has run a 17-week Pacific weight-loss programme at Puseisei Church with around fifty participants of ages ranging from children through to older adults.