[1] He previously played for Moana Pasifika in Super Rugby[2] and Hawke's Bay in New Zealand's domestic National Provincial Championship competition.
[6] In 2017, Funaki was named in the Bay of Plenty Wasps side to play the New Zealand Universities team in an Anzac Day match.
[8] Funaki moved to Hawke's Bay in 2018, where he played club rugby for Maori Agricultural College (MAC) Sports Association.
[4] He was included in the Hawke's Bay squad for the 2018 Mitre 10 Cup season as a temporary injury replacement[9] and made his debut for the Magpies on Sunday 30 September 2018 against Canterbury.
[11][12] He was again part of the Hawke's Bay squad for the 2020 Mitre 10 Cup season[13] and earned his first start for the side on 15 November 2020 in an away game against Taranaki, in which he scored two tries and had a third controversially disallowed.