Over 34 kaumātua teams from across the North Island have gathered at Rototuna High School in Hamilton to celebrate the 20th milestone anniversary of the Rauawaawa Kaumātua Olympics.
Hosted by the Rauawaawa Kaumātua Charitable Trust, the annual event has spent two decades placing kaumātua at the heart of the community. The day-long event focuses on promoting hauora, movement and whakawhanaungatanga through a range of sports and activities tailored for kaumātua.
“It’s the whakawhanaunga, it’s the whole rā, it’s just being together, doing things people don’t expect of our kaumātua and showcasing what their potential is,” says CEO of Rauawaawa Kaumātua Charitable Trust, Rangimahora Reddy.
For 20 years, the Kaumātua Olympics has provided a vibrant space to celebrate the mana, humour, and ongoing contributions of elders across Aotearoa. Participants engage in friendly rivalry, reinforcing the vital role kaumātua hold within their respective whānau and communities.
“You can hear it in the room, you can see it when they’re competing. It’s just a huge day for just an uplift of the wairua,” Reddy says.
Kua eke ngā kēmu taumāhekeheke kaumātua o Rauawaawa ki tōna tau rua tekau
He neke atu i te toru tekau ma whā ngā tīma kaumātua nō ngā pito o Te Ika a Māui kua whakatōpūngia ki Te Kura Tuarua o Rototuna mō ngā kēmu taumāhekeheke kaumātua o Rauawaawa ki te whakanui i tōna tau rua tekau.
“He mahi korikori, he mahi whanaungatanga me katakata nui. Arā, kaua e wareware ki te hā ki roto, hā ki waho nā te mea ka mate i tērā wā,” hei tā tētehi o ngā kaitākaro mō Tauranga Moana, a Kim Poipoi.
E hīkaka ana a Poipoi ki te tākarohia i ngā kēmu, otirā, ki te tūtaki ki ngētehi atu nō rohe kē.
“He tino harikoa te rōpū nei ki te hurihuri nā te mea ko te pakeketanga o ngā kuia me ngā kaumātua, tērā pea e moe ana, e noho ana, engari i tēnei wā he pai ki te huri tō tinana,” hei tā Poipoi anō.
Ko te whakawhanaungatanga me te oranga o ngā kaumātua te mea nui. He mārama te kite mā ēnei kēmu e whakaihiihi i ngā kaumātua ki te korikoi i ō rātou tinana.
