Pinnacle team on wellness journey at Y

The Tairāwhiti Pinnacle team have started their own journey to wellness through a programme in the YMCA gymnasium. Back row (from left) are Tracy Fergus, Dianna Gibbs, Linda Ritchie, Steve Allen, Megan Holmes, Faeanza Whaitiri and Amelia Gilbert. Front: Frances Markowski, Jamie Karehana (YMCA fitness manager) and Shona Gomes. Picture by Paul Rickard

The Tairāwhiti Pinnacle team have started a “move your body, boost your mood wellness journey” at the YMCA gymnasium to boost their effectiveness as health clinicians.

Tairāwhiti Pinnacle is made up of specialists and nurses in a wide range of primary care areas.

Health coach Faeanza Whaitiri put a proposal forward for staff to join the gym at the Y as a team.

She worked with the YMCA on a free three-month exercise programme.

“We acknowledge the support of the YMCA in enabling this initiative to happen,” she said,

The focus was on improving the health and wellbeing of the Tairāwhiti team through physical fitness and a holistic approach.

“This initiative directly aligns with our organisation’s mission of delivering primary care that supports all people to thrive by realising their health and wellbeing potential.”

It also follows their vision of “kia hauora te katoa, kia puaawai te katoa — everyone healthy, everyone thriving”.

“By investing in our staff’s wellbeing we empower them to be their best selves both at work and in their personal lives, ultimately contributing to a healthier, happier community,” she said.

“This initiative also provides an exciting opportunity for our clinicians to experience the ups and downs of an exercise journey that builds on how we can better relate to and support the whānau we work with,” Faeanza said.

“With an increasing focus by our team on empowering whānau to self-manage health conditions, through group delivery, peer support and the ongoing support of non-clinical kaimahi the team hope to use their own experiences to better promote the significant benefits of regular exercise on physical and mental health.”

The team started their exercise journey this week.