You don’t need 10,000 followers or a six-pack to make an impact, but you do need to know what’s working in your corner of the world.
In this post, we’re spotlighting the top New Zealand fitness influencers, from those weaving Māori wellness principles into mindset coaching to creators turning hyper-local authenticity into global inspiration.
Use this list to follow, learn from, and even collaborate with Kiwi fitness influencers who are setting the pace across Aotearoa. Whether you’re growing a personal brand or building a fitness business, this is your shortcut to what’s working now in the world of fitness content creators in NZ.
Check Out: The Top Australian Fitness Influencers
Top New Zealand Fitness Influencers
With 28% of Kiwi adults, around 1.07 million people, now paying for one-on-one exercise professionals, demand is on the rise. Since 2023, interest in structured fitness has jumped, with another 309,000 New Zealanders planning to start in 2025.
For NZ social media fitness coaches, the opportunity to stand out has never been bigger.
During our research, it was great to see how these creators spin their interests into multi-product businesses that ride the social media trends their audiences care about the most.
Sarah Harris | @iamsarahharris
Sarah Harris is dubbed “New Zealand’s Barbie” for the high-gloss, pink-saturated aesthetic she and her partner, fitness-and-business coach Joshua Williams, share online. She’s since pivoted from fitness-model fame to running Suite & Savoury, branded as “your bucket-list’s best friend.”
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- Instagram: 3M
- TIkTok: 144.5K
- Youtube: 35.7K
Her Instagram feed mixes stunning bikini shots, luxe-resort reviews, and behind-the-scenes peeks at a healthy yet lavish lifestyle, giving major fitspo NZ vibes.
On her website, Sarah offers a free guide that teaches followers how to earn money while traveling, positioning herself as both a wellness mentor and travel-income strategist.
Monetization stack: Sponsored luxury-hotel partnerships, affiliate links to travel/wellness brands, and digital guides on building a travel-influencer income stream.
Sarah proves you can fuse fitness, travel, and entrepreneurship into a single narrative and monetize it through premium hospitality campaigns instead of coaching packages. If your audience loves movement and passport stamps, her model is a masterclass in lifestyle bundling.
Josef Rakich | (@josefrakich)
Josef Rakich started much like many personal trainers online, sharing client transformations and macro tips online. As his audience grew, he kept refining the same simple promise: practical nutrition and no-nonsense workouts that get visible results.
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- Instagram: 720K
- TikTok: 773.3K
- YouTube: 371K
That consistency has since evolved into a small ecosystem of programs and communities, all linked through his hoo.be hub, making him one of the most followed health influencers in New Zealand:
- SHRED90 Challenge – a 12-week body-comp program that bundles meal plans, customized workouts, and weekly check-ins (cash-prize leaderboards add friendly pressure).
- CopyTrading Wealth Group – a paid Telegram community where Josef walks members through his approach to crypto and copy-trading.
- WEALTHYNZ / Join Wealth Network – his latest venture helping Kiwis explore passive-income ideas beyond the gym.
Monetization stack: Challenge programs, subscription coaching, trading communities, and affiliate partnerships.
Josef’s path is a blueprint for New Zealand gym influencers who want to exit the gym floor to multiple income streams. Start with one results-driven offer, prove it works, then add follow-up services that solve the next problem clients face, whether that’s accountability or, in his case, financial growth.
Check Out: Selling Challenges and Adding Multiple Clients Is a Breeze with ABC Trainerize
Simone Anderson | (@simone_anderson)
Simone Anderson is a fitness content creator in NZ, who first hit the spotlight by documenting her 92-kilogram weight-loss journey, a raw, unfiltered story that resonated worldwide.
Instead of leaving it at a dramatic before-and-after, she’s spent the past decade turning that story into ongoing conversations about body confidence, mental health, and sustainable wellness.
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- Instagram: 433K
- TikTok: 55.9K
- YouTube: 23.5K
Her audience now follows for a blend of family life, balanced nutrition, and frank talk about skin-removal surgery and self-image.
Monetization stack: Brand partnerships, book royalties, lifestyle affiliate links, paid speaking engagements
For more creators using radical honesty to build loyal audiences, see our list of plus-size fitness influencers.
Anjuli Mack | (@anjulimack)
Anjuli Mack marries science-based coaching with day-to-day relatability. A competitive powerlifter, certified nutritionist, and founder of Fit With Anjuli, she’s coached thousands of women worldwide through evidence-led training and hormone-aware nutrition.
Her reels swing from heavy deadlifts and meal-prep demos to frank chats about stress and burnout, proving that data-driven fitness can still feel human.
Monetization stack: Subscription programs, limited 1-to-1 coaching spots for high-intent clients, speaking and brand partnerships that align with her values.
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- Instagram: 146K
- TikTok: 64.5K
- YouTube: 12.8K
Nita Patel | (@fitwithnit)
Nita Patel blends cultural identity with results-driven transformation coaching. Based in Auckland and rooted in Indian wellness traditions, she’s built a 300K+ audience by proving that fitness and heritage can coexist.
Her platform, @fitnitchallenge, runs recurring 8-week challenges tailored specifically for men and women following an Indian diet. This is more than a “meal plan + workouts” model, it’s culturally-aware coaching with relevance baked in.
She’s a powerful example of how home-workout influencers in NZ can scale without losing cultural specificity or personal touch.
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- Instagram: 307K followers
- TikTok: 44.1K
- YouTube: 563
She also offers 1-on-1 premium coaching through fitwithnit.com, positioning herself as both a challenge-based and high-ticket provider.
Monetization stack: Group challenge programs, premium 1-to-1 coaching, brand partnerships aligned with cultural wellness.
Tj Perenara (@tj_perenara)
Best known for his career as a professional rugby player, Tj Perenara is one of the few athletes in Aotearoa actively bridging elite sport and mainstream fitness influence.
With over 302K followers and growing, Tj uses his platform to share training clips, recovery protocols, and personal reflections that humanize what it takes to perform at the highest level.
Unlike many traditional athletes, Tj doesn’t just post highlight reels, he invites his audience into his off-field mindset. From cultural advocacy to family life and mental health, his content connects on multiple levels, offering inspiration that resonates far beyond rugby fans.
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- Instagram: 302K
- TikTok: 34.2K
Though he’s not a full-time fitness coach, his routines and recovery insights are often adapted by followers, and his influence in the Māori and Pasifika fitness communities is significant.
Monetization stack: Long-term brand sponsorships, paid speaking, and limited charity collaborations that align with Māori and Pasifika youth initiatives.
Dominic’s “Legion” (@dominicslegion)
Dominic combines memes and muscle to carve out a niche few fitness TikTok NZ creators touch. His Marvel-style humor drives traffic, while client results back it all up.
Among top fitness Instagram accounts in NZ, his is one of the most entertaining, and one of the few to fill a gym roster purely through laughs and loyalty.
Monetization stack: CityFitness personal training, affiliate links (very occasionally).
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- Instagram: 164K
- TikTok: 1.1K
How These Influencers Impact the Fitness Community
Promoting healthy lifestyles
Today’s New Zealand fitness influencers are strength training through different life stages, advocating for mental well-being, and celebrating culture, each with their own take on what “healthy” means. The common thread is that they show up consistently and use their platforms to bring people together.
Providing accessible fitness content
Across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, these NZ fitness bloggers are breaking down complex ideas into formats their audiences actually use. We’re seeing more trainers share free tips in stories, demo progressions in short-form video, and explain concepts with humour or cultural references that resonate.
Building supportive communities
What sets these creators apart is how they turn followers into active participants: through challenges, group chats, live Q&As, or reshared wins from clients and fans. Everyone finds their thing and stays consistent with it, and in doing so, they build trust.
Check Out Our Other Fitness Influencer Blogs
We’ve been putting together lists of our favourite fitness influencers from all around the world. Check out some of our other posts below!
- The Top US Fitness Influencers to Follow
- The Top UK Fitness Influencers to Follow
- The Top Australian Fitness Influencers to Follow
- The Top Canadian Fitness Influencers to Follow
- The Top Irish Fitness Influencers to Follow
Bringing It Back to Your Business with ABC Trainerize
Here at ABC Trainerize, we believe that what these influencers are doing, is exactly what fitness businesses need to scale.
ABC Trainerize gives you the tools to do the same:
- Create and deliver coaching with flexible workouts, habits, and nutrition tracking, all in one place
- Build your own community with in-app groups, challenges, and real-time messaging
- Sell digital products that meet your audience where they are, from first-time fitness clients to long-term loyalists
Start your free ABC Trainerize trial and bring your brand, and your business, to life!
