Te Arawa Games turn 20

Te Papa Takaro o Te Arawa has encouraged families to get active and have fun with the Te Arawa Games. Photo / Supplied

The first Maori sports trust in the country is celebrating 20 years serving its iwi.

Te Papa Takaro o Te Arawa was formed in 1993 and has played a major role in improving the health and wellbeing of Te Arawa descendants, Maori and the wider Rotorua community.

The iwi-mandated trust is governed by a board of trustees representing hapu of Te Arawa. One of the founding trustees, Te Taru White, said he remembered the first meeting two decades ago that saw the organisation come to fruition.

"I was the director of Te Puni Kokiri and part of the role was developing Maori potential. We had the idea of developing something around sports as it gave a sense of identity and people young and old could participate, enjoy and compete," Mr White said.

In consultation with kaumatua Pihopa Kingi a meeting was soon arranged with about 20 key people in Te Arawa.

"It received unanimous support and Cheryl Te Kani-McQueen was appointed the first general manager, as she was passionate about sports and had a high profile as one of the country's best squash players," he said.

"That was the start of Te Arawa Games and the beginning of Te Papa Takaro o Te Arawa."

The games are a yearly event that have recently been revived. More than 13 hapu take part in competitive and non-competitive games ranging from touch rugby through to badminton. The main aim was to get whanau of all ages involved and active.

"At the core of all of [Te Papa Takaro o Te Arawa] is our people's health, wellbeing and identity," Mr White said.

"Back then in 1993 a seed was planted and its germinated to be a leader in its field. I'm excited about where it is going next," he said.

Current general manager Paora Te Hurihanganui said they still were very much sport and recreational focussed and continued to organise the large events such as the games and Te Arawa Maori Sports Awards.

However, he said they were now showing others how to lead.

"For us it is about matauranga (knowledge), empowering others to run their own events," Mr Te Hurihanganui said.

Another successful programme has been the Te Arawa Sites of Significance, which has been popular in getting men more active.

"It involves visiting the mountains, paddling in the water where our ancestors played and walking about and having key speakers at the sites for it to be both physical and motivational," he said.

"It's about showing people that their ancestors had greatness and that they have the same potential to succeed.

If someone can know their identity, they better understand themselves and are more likely to sustain their health goals as they are driven by a motivated force that had spanned for generations.

"We want to infuse matauranga, Te Arawa knowledge into everything we do to find potential."

Mr Te Hurihanganui said the six full-time staff at the organisation were passionate about what they did and knew the importance of setting a good example.

He said there were regular group fitness activities such as Iron Maori, hiking and going to the gym. All staff members gave up smoking, healthy lunches were eaten and walking, rather than driving, was promoted.

Te Papa Takaro o Te Arawa has its sights set high for the future.

"We are aiming to have four gold Olympic medallists in eight years from Te Arawa," Mr Te Hurihanganui said.

"We want to establish a Te Arawa elite sports academy and generate a sports, recreation and activity through a kaupapa Maori approach."