Funake was born in the Auckland suburb of Ōtāhuhu[1] and grew up in Māngere.

[3] He began weightlifting at age 15 to improve his rugby performance,[2] and later represented New Zealand at the 2015 Junior World Weightlifting Championships in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, winning silver in the under 85 kg class.

[3] In 2018, he represented New Zealand at the Junior World Weightlifting Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

[2] At the 2022 Pacific Mini Games in Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands he won three gold medals in the 96 kg category.

[4][5] He also won a gold medal at the Oceania Weightlifting Championships, held concurrently.