21 Oct Māori approaches and solutions needed to increase participation in sport and physical activity

Monday 21 October 2019
For immediate release

Toi Tangata and Te Pūtahi-a-Toi are hosting a Toi Ako wānanga exploring Māori approaches and solutions to increase participation in physical activity and sport. The one day event will be held at Massey University in Palmerston North on Wednesday 23 October 2019. The day will consist of a combination of keynote presentations, workshops and panel discussions, delivered by prominent leaders in the fields of health, sports and physical activity such as Professor Meihana Durie, Dr Farah Palmer, Dr Geoff Kira and many more.

Participants will have the opportunity to examine enablers and barriers to participation and to workshop solutions to increase Māori participation in sport and physical activity from a te ao Māori perspective. Iwi led examples as well as the role of te reo Māori in sports will be looked into for improving whanau ora outcomes.

“With the dissolution of the Moving the Māori Nation funding, it is timely to focus on what the enablers and barriers to participation in physical activity are for Māori and think about where we go from here,” says Megan Tunks, Toi Tangata CEO.

“There are some really positive community and Iwi led initiatives that engage Māori, but these are unfortunately not resourced as well as they could be. Regional Sports Trusts capture a large proportion of the funding at a community level and we need to look at more resourcing opportunities for Māori sporting organisations and Iwi/Māori providers to participate,” Tunks says.

The goal of the wānanga is to explore how to empower Māori to lead healthier and active lifestyles using mātauranga Māori as the driving force. Toi Tangata has adopted Professor Mason Durie’s Te Pae Mahutonga Framework as a foundation for the strategic approach for the day.

This event precedes Ngā Pūmanawa ki Pūrehuroa: Māori High Performance Symposium, which will be held on Thursday 24 October 2019 by Te Pūtahi-a-Toi at Massey University in Palmerston North. These two events complement the kaupapa by looking at different aspects of Māori in sport.

About Toi Tangata

Toi Tangata is a national Māori public health agency which focuses on developing, delivering and championing positive health initiatives to accelerate health outcomes for Māori. They are a team of specialists dedicated to health approaches informed by mātauranga Māori.

ENDS