Name suppression has lapsed for former Warriors player turned television celebrity Wairangi Koopu.
Koopu is facing charges of cocaine possession and supply of a class A drug.
On Wednesday afternoon, his name suppression lapsed with immediate effect.
Koopu, who also appeared on television in The Crowd Goes Wild and Watch The Road, was charged with major drugs offences in October.
The charges carried a penalty of up to 14 years imprisonment.
Koopu made more than 150 appearances for the Warriors between 1999 and 2008.
He also represented the New Zealand Kiwis on three occasions and played four times for the New Zealand Māori rugby league team.
The second rower was on the interchange bench in the Warriors’ 2002 NRL Grand Final loss to the Sydney Roosters.
Koopu was released by the Warriors in 2009 and signed a one-year contract with the Melbourne Storm and was part of the team that won the 2009 NRL Grand Final, although that title was subsequently stripped because of salary cap breaches.
He joined the television show The Crowd Goes Wild as a presenter and reporter in 2021.
In February, TVNZ launched season two of The Road to Te Matatini, hosted by Koopu.
He also appeared on reality show Celebrity Treasure Island in 2024.
rnz.co.nz
