Craig wins gold and silver

ANZCO Foods Waitara’s Site Production Manager Craig Mercer competed in the 2024 Māori Brazilian jiu-jitsu competition in New Plymouth over the weekend and came away with some great results. Craig has Ngāti Uenuku ancestry on his mother’s side and was stoked to compete in a tournament that celebrated Māori competing in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. 

Craig placed first in the over-100kg category and then placed second in the absolute open-weight category. Craig also received his purple belt on the Sunday at a jiu-jitsu seminar with a black-belt coach from the USA, meaning he has spent a minimum of two years learning a wide range of technical skills and moves as a blue belt.

Left: Craig Mercer (left) on the podium after winning silver.
Right: Craig throwing his opponent over his shoulder in one of his four submission wins on the day.