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Ka tu te whakataetae taumahekeheke pakeke ki te Events Centre o Rotorua ā te paraire o te wiki hou.
Ko etehi o ngā pou-whakataetae kai te iwa tekau o ngā tau te rahi. Engari rā e ngana ana te ngākau ki te kaupapa whakahirahira. Ka nui te whakamiharotanga o Takuta Laurie Morrison ( He uri nō Ngāti Whakaue) i te toru tekau mā waru o ngā tīma kua rēhitangia.
He whakapae iti nōna ka hē te kaupapa i te āwhā hauruturutu nui o Kapiriao. Nō te tau e rua mano kotahi tekau mā iwa whakarewa ai tēnei kaupapa. ' E rua tekau mā toru o ngā rōpū whakataetae i puta mai ki te whakataetae, engari i tēnei tau kua kake ki te toru tekau mā waru o ngā rōpū. He kotahi tekau o ngā toa kai ia rōpū whakataetae’.
I whakapaetia nuitia e mātau ka raru te kaupapa nā runga i te kaha o te huarere taumaha i tau ki runga ki te motu. He whakapae nō mātau ka puta āhua rua tekau o ngā rōpū whakataetae. He uaua hoki ki te whakakāhore i ngā rōpū tokoiwa i tae tūreiti ai ki te paepae.
E kore e taea e mātau ki te whakaroa i te noho a ngā poumahi, he uaua hoki ki te kī atu ki ngā tīma kua mana kore ngā tono, ka pouri katoa ngā ngākau. Ko te kaupapa matua ko te manaaki i te manuwhiri, mārama kehokeho kau ana ēnei rōpū ki te ngako o te korero, ka ora anō ngā ngakau.
E rangatira katoa mātau i tēnei rōpū whakaharahara’. I whakataetae a Laurie me tana pahi i te whakataetae taumahekeheke i tū ki te kura tuarua o Rototuna ki te takiwā o Waikato. He whakaaro i whakaraarangia e Rauawaawa Charitable Trust i te tau e rua mano kotahi tekau mā waru. Ko ngā hākinakina e tika ana mā te hunga pakeke he ngāwari noa.
‘Kūwhewhewhewhe ana ngā pāpāringa o ngā kaumatua nā reira i tono atu ai mātau. Nō te tau e rua mano kotahi tekau mā iwa ka puare te tono. Ka haere mātau ki te hui. I pōwhiringia mātau ki te kanikani i te National Kaumatua Services Conference.’
Ka kī atu ahau ki taku kōmiti, kai te tonoa e ahau te whakataetae taumahekeheke ki a tū ki Te Arawa’. Whakaae katoa mai ngā rangatira, nā wai rā ka tū ngā kēmu ki kōnei i te tau e rua mano kotahi tekau mā iwa’. Ka hinga ngā pou o te whare whakataetae i te mate urutā, nā reira ka whakairia te kaupapa mō ngā tau e toru.’
He mōhio hoki nō mātau mēnā ka tu tonu te kaupapa ko ngā kaumātua pea te utu, ka rua, kāore hoki he whare hai kawe i te kaupapa’.
Me takiwā o te ono tekau te rahi e tū ai ngā tangata ki te whakataetae. Ka nui hoki te whakamihi a Laurie ki ngā hapū tokorua nei. Ki a Tūhourangi me Ngāti Pikiao. Me whai wāhi hoki ai i roto i ngā mihi ki te Rotorua Trust, Te Puni Kokiri, Pukeroa Oruawhata, Ngāti Whakaue Lands Trust, Te Arawa Lakes Trust, Te Pūmautanga Trust me ngā taratī o Ngāti Pikiao.
Nō ngā tōpito e whā o te motu ngā rōpū whakataetae. Nō Whanganui, nō Waikato, nō Hauraki, nō Ngai Te Rangi, nō Rangitihi nō Te Atiawa, nō Tūhoe, nō Tūhourangi, nō Te Ure o Uenukukopako, nō Ngāti Pikiao ki Te Rotomā me Te Rotoiti, whai hoki nō Ngāti Whakaue.
Nā reira ia te pātai. He aha te kaupapa o te rā?
Tuatahi ake. He whakataetae kaumatua. Ka tū ētehi ki te whakataetae, ka noho ētehi ki te whakataetae. He kotahi tekau āhua kotahi tekau mā rua katoa o ngā kēmu. He kotahi tekau mēneti te roa o ia kēmū, ā, he rima mēneti hai whakawātea i ngā rōpū ki te peka atu ki te kēmū hou.
' He kēmū nō te wā mātau e itiiti ai. He ahakoa kai te āta whakataetae mātau, ka puta tonu mai te wairua o ngā mako’ Hei tā Laurie.
‘He taima pai hoki ki a noho tahi ai te pakeke me ngā tamariki . Mā ngā tamariki ngā kaumātua e whakatika ka hē ā rātauna mahi, rānei e tohe ana rātau ki a rātau mā ngā rangatahi rātau e kōwhete. ' Ka tiakina hoki ngā taitamariki e tetehi matua’. Ka puta hoki a Hato Hone.
' He whakaora, he rangi whakawhitawhita i ngā whatumanawa o ngā kaumatua kia pakaru te hōro i te kata. Ko Phyllis Tangitu tō tātau manu whakahaere mō te rā, whaihoki kua whakaritea ētehi kaupapa whakangāhau hoki. He Kumba, he Poi Ora, ko te kanikani, he wāhanga kapa haka me te kaupapa Waiata mai i a Krissie Knap – e kore rā te waka e takoki!’.
“Kai te karangahia a Te Whatu Ora ki te awhina i te taumaha o te nama ki a kaha tonu ai tēnei kaupapa.
Kia hāngai pū hoki tō rātau aro atu ki ngā rohe e whakapau kaha ana ki a mana tonu ai a Te Whatu Ora. Ka nui te kōrerotia ki a aro tātau ki te hauora me te whakapiki wairua e ake ai te tangata engari he korero kau, kai te oreore noa ngā ngutu. Ka oti, he maramara noa hai awhina ki te kawe i te whakataetae nei. ‘Tino waimarie mātau i te hāpori hauora nei. Kāhore he paku aha ki a rātau ki te awhina kore utu mai, whaihoki ki te tuku koha mai.
Me i kore ngā taratī o tēnei takiwā kua hemo noa atu tō tātau waka – ka taka ana mātau ki te hē, ka hikina te kauwae o te ora e rātau’. Ka nui te aroha atu.
—Na Raimona Inia i whakamaori
Our senior athletes, including some in their 90s, are counting down to the Te Arawa Kaumatua Olympics at the Rotorua Events Centre next Friday.
Organiser Dr Laurie Morrison (Ngāti Whakaue) said the response was almost overwhelming with 38 teams making the deadline. She had anticipated that Cyclone Gabrielle would affect entries.
The inaugural Te Arawa Kaumatua Olympics was held in 2019.
“In 2019 we had 23 teams and thought the turnout was amazing,” said Laurie.
“This year we have been overwhelmed with the number of teams who have registered — 38 teams most with 10 members are participating.
“We anticipated that with the effects of Gabrielle we would be lucky to get 20 teams. It was hard to say no to the nine teams who missed the deadline.
“We simply couldn’t extend our kaimahi and having to tell our roopu that they couldn’t enter a team was disappointing for them. We had to prioritise the needs of our manuhiri and they understood. We are so lucky to have such an awesome roopu.”
Laurie and her crew first participated in the 2018 Kaumatua Olympics hosted by Rauawaawa Charitable Trust and Rototuna High School students in Waikato.
They saw the kaumatua-friendly games such as noodle hockey and corn hole, all sorts of games played at social events.
“We had lots of fun with so many other kaumātua enjoying themselves. The opportunity to tono for the 2019 games came when we were invited to do a dance demo/kumba at the National Kaumatua Services Conference.
“I spoke to my committee members and said, ‘I’m going to ask to host the next games in Te Arawa.’ We got a positive response, and we made in happen in 2019.”
Covid disrupted the 2020, 2021 and 2022 events.
“It wasn’t possible to host because of the negative effects for our kuia/koro kaumatua. Limited availability of the Events Centre was another barrier.”
To qualify for the Olympics participants must be aged 60+.
This year Laurie is particularly grateful to Tuhourangi and Ngāti Pikiao for their support.
The event is possible thanks to the generosity of the Rotorua Trust, Bay Trust, Te Puni Kokiri, Pukeroa Oruawhata, Ngāti Whakaue Lands Trust, Te Arawa Lakes Trust, Te Pumautanga Trust and a number of our Ngāti Pikiao Trusts.
Teams are coming from Whanganui, Waikato, Hauraki, Ngaiterangi, Rangitihi, Atiawa, Tuhoe, Tuhourangi, Uenukukopako, Ngāti Pikiao Rotoma, Rotoiti and Ngāti Whakaue and community organisations are joining the funagain this year.
So, what happens on the day.
The games are all kaumatua friendly and some are completed sitting down.
There are usually 10-12 games, with a 10minute duration, and 5 minutes to amble onto the next game.
“They are all games we played when we were kids, only a lot slower. But my goodness the competitiveness comes out to play in each and every one of the participants,” said Laurie.
“It certainly is a wonderful opportunity for our rangatahi to interact with kaumatua. They are the ones who tell the kaumatua off if they ‘cheat’ or tell them to hoihoi and they don’t listen.
“We have an adult supporter to assist our rangatahi.”
Also on hand will be St John Hato Hone.
“This day is all about providing our kaumatua with enjoyment, fun and laughter.
“We have the amazing Phyllis Tangitu as our MC, we have organised a number of activities to keep our kaumatua entertained, Kumba, Poi Ora, Line Dancing, Kapa Haka and Waiatamai with Krissi Knapp, how could we go wrong!”
Laurie wants Te Whatu Ora to play an active role in the care of kaumatua. “Te Whatu Ora needs to provide adequate funding to enable the continuity of our Kaumatua Olympics specifically for those regions who provide them annually.
“There’s a lot of korero about the health and wellbeing of our Kaumatua, yet limited funding is allocated to our Kaumatua Olympics. “We are fortunate to have good working relationships with our community hauora who can assist with support workers and koha. Lastly, our iwi Trusts what would we do without them!
“They are always our go-to when the shortfalls appear.”
'We really have something special going on here,' the academy co-founder says.