Waimārama community members are seeing meaningful shifts in their health and wellbeing as they take part in Te Kāhui Whai Hauora, a six week programme delivered by EIT in partnership with the marae.
The programme is being run at Waimārama Marae, where participants have been meeting three to four times a week for movement sessions, nutrition discussions and time together.
Participants in the Te Kāhui Whai Hauora programme, led by EIT, gather outside Waimārama Marae during one of their weekly sessions.
Led by EIT Head of School, Trades and Technology, Todd Rogers, Te Kāhui Whai Hauora blends accessible fitness and nutrition with activities that uplift wairua and strengthen relationships.
The programme is also running in Maraenui and Central Hawke’s Bay.
Todd says bringing the programme to the marae has been key to its success.
“It is all about getting people moving, people of all ages and abilities,” he says. “They have talked about how it makes them feel being active together in their own place. That has been the biggest learning for me.”
Alongside the movement and nutrition components, the sessions also include learning about how the body works, such as understanding key muscle groups and everyday functional movement. An EIT Nursing Lecturer also visited the marae to carry out basic health checks and kōrero with participants.
The group has increased its fitness steadily throughout the programme.
“We started with two kilometres and now we are up to six kilometres without any trouble,” Todd says. “The changes have been amazing.”
Many say the biggest shift has come not only from movement but from spending time together in a positive and uplifting setting. The programme will conclude with a community walkathon around the marae and restored creek area, where participants will tally their collective kilometres in celebration of their progress.
Participant Mischelle Tohu (Ngā Hapū o Waimārama) says the programme has offered rare time together outside the usual responsibilities of marae life.
“For me it was whakawhanaungatanga, our whānau doing something positive together.”
She says the kaupapa has helped ease the demands of daily marae mahi.
“We do lots of kaupapa together but we are always in the kitchen or welcoming guests or teaching. We do not get time to actually be together. Sometimes kaupapa can weigh us down. Because this programme is active, it gets rid of the heaviness and makes everything positive again.”
She has also become more mindful of her overall health. “It has made me more conscious of what I eat and how I look after my body. I never used to warm up or cool down and now I do.”
Kaumātua Marama Tiakitai Hart (Ngā Hapū o Waimārama) says the programme has worked well because participants can move at their own pace regardless of age or ability.
“We are doing everything at our own pace. Todd comes back to our level and encourages us. Watching each other improve is really awesome.”
The setting has also played an important role.
Mischelle says she would not have taken part if the programme were not held at the marae. “This is my place and having it here made it possible for us to take part.”
Whānau have embraced the inclusive atmosphere, where tamariki and even dogs often join sessions.
Todd says this has added to the energy of the programme. “I have not done this in a long time, and this is pretty cool.”
Marama says participants have appreciated the way the programme has been introduced, with no pressure or expectations attached.
She says they have felt supported to focus on their own wellbeing, move at a pace that suits them, and measure their progress against themselves rather than each other.
Participants say they can already see the difference the programme has made.
“We are not training for anything high level. We are doing it for our own good and we can see the difference,” Marama says.