What is the purpose of He Oranga Poutama?
He Oranga Poutama is an initiative that supports Māori wellbeing by improving participation and growing leadership through physical activity that strongly supports Māori ways of being and knowing. We want whānau Māori to have the opportunity to get active, learn new skills, connect to Te Ao Māori and work towards a new goal or achievement through the activities they are participating in.
He Oranga Poutama emphasises activities that encourage participation 'As Māori'
The guiding principles for this are:
· BY Māori – governed, managed and delivered by Māori
· FOR Māori – designed for iwi, hapū, whānau Māori
· WITH Māori – using Māori language and custom
· THROUGH Māori – utilising customary activities handed down
· IN/ON Māori spaces – e.g. marae, maunga, awa
The delivery of He Oranga Poutama and Te Tāhū Manawa in our rohe is a collaboration between Te Pae Oranga o Ruahine o Tararua Iwi Māori Partnership Board (Te Pae Oranga), Sport Manawatū and Sport New Zealand - Ihi Aotearoa, designed to assist in creating an event, project or programme targeted at getting iwi, hapū and whānau Māori to engage in physical activity.
The collaboration is founded on the principle of empowering Māori voices in decision-making for improving physical activation opportunities within Māori communities.