Kāhu ki Rotorua: Tutū te pūehu, whatiwhati ngā hope - Koeke have a place to dance and have fun whilst keeping fit

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Pai kē atu tēnei hai pepeha, kaumātua kanikani.

He kaupapa hākoakoa, he kaupapa mā ngā pakeke kia tae a tinana rātou ki te whare pakari o Profiles i te atatū o ia Tūrei ki te whakakaha i tō rātou hauora. Kai te tiriti o Taupō tēnei whare e tū ana. Ko te kanikani oranga te kaupapa hai ngā atatū o te Tūrei , ā, ko te korikori tinana ki te whare pakari tinana te mahi hai nga Taite.

Anei te wairua o tēnei huinga pakeke, kāore anō kia toka tū te āhuatanga mahi mēnā ka whakahuri i te kaupapa o te atatū ka tīni, mēnā he kaupapa kē atu, kāore he raruraru nui. Nā te mate korona hoki kua tino waia kē te kaha o o rātou wairua .

Ko Tākuta Laurie Morrison te pou whakahaere o tētehi rōpū pukumahi, hei tāna i mua mai o te māuiui korona e toru tekau mā ono ngā mema, ā, e pai katoa ana ki a rātou. Engari, nō te wā o te māuiui korona kua heke ngā mema ki te kotahi mā ono, āhua e rua tekau mā rua. Ka piki te tokomaha o ngā mema a ngā rā kanikani.

Nō te taenga mai o te māuiui korona kai te kaha māuiui ngā tāne. E ai ki a Laurie ko te hauora me te whakapakari te take ka tae mai ai ngā tangata.

Kua whai oranga rātou i te mana o te pōari hauora o Te Waiariki e pūare ai ngā tatau o ngā whare ki a rātou ki ngā kaumātua. Ka nui hoki te whakamīhā ki a Rory O'Rourke te pou whakahaere o Age Concern i Rotorua nei nōna tētehi wēne hai kohi me te kawe i ngā kaumātua ki ngā kaupapa rangatira, ki ngā whakataetae hoki i waho atu o Rotorua.

Ka tini hoki a rātou kaupapa, ko te kanikani-i-te-wai, ko te waka ama, te pahikara me te whakapakari ētehi anō o ngā kaupapa.

E rua ngā tino kaumātua ko Judy Tapsell me Kiri Potaka-Dewes e tino taniwha nei ki te waka ama. Ka kore te taurāwhi e piri mai ki a rāua.
Whoi anō, ko te kaupapa tiketike ko te kanikani.

"Kua tino piki te rongonuitanga o te kanikani nā te taenga mai o Rangi Henry".

Ka tūtaki a Laurie ki a Rangi i Instinctive Fitness, ko Rangi te pouako kanikani.

"E kore e tāea te whakahuahua te ingoa tika o taua kaupapa rā, nā reira i tapangia ko kanikani ora, kia kāua mātou e hāmenengia – kāti, ka kanikani mātou, ka harikoa katoa te rōpū".

"Ko tō matou whare tawhito i tū ki te rori o Lake, ā, i reira mātou mō tētehi wā iti, i pōwhiringia mātou e Simon Chisholm, nā, kai Profiles Community Gym mātou inaianei kai te rori o Taupō. I āhua mānukanuka ētehi o mātou e haukoti ana i ērā atu kaupapa whakapakari pēnā i te kaupapa, mekemeke me te kake pahikara kia tae atu ai mātou ki tā mātou wāhanga korikori, whoi anō".

Nā ngā rāhuitanga o te māuiui nui nei kua tāpū ngā kaupapa whakapakari puta noa te tāone nei, engari anō kua whakatahangia tā rātou kaupapa taumāhekeheke itiiti hoki. Pai ki a rātou ngā kaumātua ngā haerenga ki Maketu hai hakoketanga waihoki ki te noho tahi me te iwi. Me tō rātou tino mōhiohio ki te kaumātua whakahaere kaupapa a Ronnie

Tapsell-Walters. Ko te tikanga kua pōwhiringia rātou e ngā tarati o Whai Aranga i Tamapahore āhua tata nei ki a Pāpāmoa i te Oketopa kua pahemo, engari he mea e kore e tāea nā te māuiui korona.

He tangata titiro pae tawhiti a Laurie ki te whakahuringa o te rautaki raiti-ā-māuiui korona nei kia hoki ora mai ngā kaumātua i Maketu ki te whare pakari i Rotorua nei.

"Kua whai huruhuru mātou ā pūtea nei ki te kawe kaupapa whakapakari anō ki Profiles".

Ko te painga kē atu ka puta tātou i te rautaki raiti-ā-māuiui korona ka whai take anō ai rātou ki te hoki ki ngā whānaunga o Ngāti Tuwharetoa, kua nanakia te roa ki a rātou. E whai whakaaro hoki ana rātou kia whakaurua te kaupapa poi ki tā rātou āhuatanga whakapakari tinana.

Ka whakatoi mai a Laurie ki taku rahinga ki ngā tangata o Te Whakarewarewa nā rātou hoki i whakamana i te tono a tētehi Amerikana, nā, i tono poi mai ki tētehi o āna kaupapa, whoi anō, ka wawe tana whakatapu i te kaupapa kia kāua rawa tana kaupapa e whenakongia e tētehi.

Kua whakawhānuingia te kaupapa ki ētehi atu wāhanga hauora pēnei i te māuiui wareware, ka tautokongia tēnei whakaaro e te Lakes Dementia.

Tokorua ngā pouako ko Leslie Morrison me Amiria Rika kai te wānanga e akona ana.

He ahakoa he kaupapa nui ki a Laurie hei tāna me he rite ki tētehi mahi tūturu, e taumaha ana nā te mea he tangata pukumahi, ka rua he matanga hāpai hoki ia.

Kaumatua kanikani has a nice alliterative ring to it.

And it's fun too for the seniors who turn up at the Profiles HQ Community Gym at 86 Old Taupo Road on Tuesday mornings for a workout. Tuesdays are kanikani oranga days, Thursdays are korikori tinana days.

That's the thing about this group of predominantly kuia. They are adaptable which is just as well as since Covid arrived with lockdowns and traffic lights their versatility, adaptability and resilience have been tested.

Dr Laurie Morrison the Co-ordinator said that before Covid they had 32 members and were happy with that.

Since Covid, the numbers are down to between 16 and 22 although the most popular class is the kanikani oranga class.

"Since Rangi Henry came on board in January 2022 as our kanikani oranga trainer the numbers have increased, and the class proves to be very popular."

"We just dance, have a good time and have lots of laughs"

The men in their group are limited and some have left due to becoming mauiui during covid.

Laurie said their members are there for their fitness, wellbeing and most of all – having fun.

She is thankful they have funding from Lakes District Health Board and under the terms of their contract places are available in their roopu for people aged 60 and up. She is also grateful to Rory O'Rourke, manager of Age Concern in Rotorua, who has made a 10-seater van and covered trailer available to her roopu for when they travel out of town to visit sister organisations or for competitions.

The group offers a range of activities from including aqua, aerobics, waka ama, cycling and gym exercises. Two of the oldest members, Judy Tapsell and Kiri Potaka-Dewes, are avid waka ama participants.

The roopu used to hold sessions at 120 Lake Road where they shared the premises with regular gym-goers.

"Simon Chisholm embraced us, and we have been at Profiles HQ ever since.

"It's really great because we go in there between 9 and 10 on Tuesdays and Thursday and we have the gym to ourselves."

The lockdowns and red traffic light have stopped their visits to other gyms and kaumatua roopu throughout the Waiariki district and around the motu for their mini olympics.

Maketu is one of their favourite destinations for competitive activities and just visiting whanau. They also have a neat relationship with kaumatua co-ordinator Ronnie Tapsell-Walters.

They were due to be hosted by the Whai Oranga Trust, at Tamapahore near Papamoa last October when Covid came.

Laurie is looking forward to the traffic light change to orange so that the kaumatua from Maketu can come over to the Rotorua gym.

"We've been funded to run some Profiles Community Gym sessions."

The traffic light change will also enable Laurie and her group a chance to visit our Tuwharetoa whanau, which is eagerly anticipated. The roopu is also looking forward to expanding its range of exercises to include Poi in collaboration with Dementia Lakes. Leslie Morrison and Amiria Rika are currently undergoing training to provide the programme.

Funny fact - Laurie had a dig at my Whakarewarewa relations for giving their blessing to an American to use poi and she immediately took out a patent…

Laurie loves the roopu. What started off as a fun initiative called "hikoi ora" for Kaumatua turned in to this life-giving group called Oranga Tinana o Ue, and in turn a full time job.