Sport Hawke's Bay's effort to help improve the health of elderly in the region has been recognised with a national award.
For its work with kaumatua, the organisation has won a Fitness New Zealand award for Community Excellence, sponsored by Horleys at the New Zealand Fitness Industry Awards 2014.
The Kori Tinana Mo Nga Kaumatua programme was led by Sport Hawke's Bay and funded through Population Health, Hawke's Bay District Board. In partnership with Maori health providers, this programme was hugely successful with 252 kaumatua participating in active living programmes and events.
Sport Hawke's Bay recreation team manager Eana Young said winning the Fitness New Zealand Community Excellence Award category tops off a successful year for the programme.
"We developed the programme to go beyond the scope of our traditional programmes such as our Kiwi Seniors model, so we were engaging with kaumatua and meeting their specific needs," Ms Young said.