New NZ Muscle boss Dave Letele speaks out after 'hate and threats' to family

Author: NZ Herald,
Publish Date: Wed, 15 Jul 2026, 12:07pm

David Letele (left) has replaced Dion Roosenbrand as chief executive of NZ Muscle. Photo / @nzmuscle

Dave Letele says he has received death threats and had his address leaked after it was announced that he would be taking over as chief executive of embattled supplement retailer NZ Muscle.

NZ Muscle founder Dion Roosenbrand announced on Monday that he would “step back” from his role to “work through regulatory issues”, with Letele joining as the new boss.

A YouTube video recently raised concerns about the company’s packing, labelling and regulatory compliance.

An NZ Muscle spokesperson later confirmed that an internal review identified several whey protein and creatine products had been packed in “non-compliant” packaging, while two protein products had been “relabelled inappropriately”.

Former boxer turned social advocate Letele said taking over the company amid investigations into its compliance was a chance to “do what’s right” and earn back the trust of customers.

However, the 46-year-old said he has since been bombarded with abusive and threatening messages on social media over the move.

David Letele (left) has replaced Dion Roosenbrand as chief executive of NZ Muscle. Photo / @nzmuscle

In a post on Facebook, Letele pleaded for people to “please settle down”, saying the abuse he and his family has received since the announcement is “getting out of hand”.

“My home address has now been posted,” he said on his Buttabean Motivation page – the community organisation he founded in 2014 that supports Kiwis with weight loss through fitness and wellbeing programmes.

“The hate and the threats to me and my family have just gone too far. Now they post my home address up.

“People want answers, which I fully understand. But I need time to find out what’s actually happened. It’s now hard to do this with so much noise and now I have to worry for my family’s safety.”

He said the online backlash has affected his wife and son.

“I’ve entered this with my eyes wide open. I’ve taken on a company that has f***ed up and it’s my job to come fix it and make it better than before.

“I understand people are upset and what’s happened before my time. But this behaviour online, the death threats and posting of addresses is going too far. Two wrongs don’t make a right.

“Seeing my wife in tears and my youngest son scared breaks my heart. But what can I do? If I do something silly I lose it all. Everyone who depends on me will be let down.”

Letele added that he is “trying to get up to speed” with the company’s issues so he can “make the necessary changes”.

He said he would speak more about it after the conclusion of the “active investigation”.

Despite the intense online backlash, Letele said he was not backing down: “I’m at a loss, but I won’t quit. Day 2 of the rebuild begins today.”

Roosenbrand has also received abusive and threatening messages from angry customers amid compliance concerns at NZ Muscle.

He has taken responsibility for the issues and apologised to customers.

NZ Muscle told the Herald last month that the affected products with “non-compliant packing” included No Brand Isolate, No Brand Whey Plus, No Brand creatine products, NZ Muscle Creatine and Shotgun Creatine – all of which had been removed from its online and retail shops.

The company’s internal review also found two protein products, No Brand Whey Plus and No Brand Isolate, had been “relabelled inappropriately”, and were also removed from sale.

An investigation into the company by New Zealand Food Safety is ongoing.

NZ Muscle was founded by Roosenbrand in 2006 and operates nine stores offering protein powders, sports nutrition products, vitamins and health supplements from nearly 100 brands, including its own NZ Muscle-branded range.

NZ Muscle and Letele have been approached for comment.