The Kawa Oranga Philosophy

Increasingly, Māori are recognising the importance of maintaining a balanced and healthy lifestyle – not just for 6 weeks or 6 months of the year, but spanning across the entire lifetime.

The constant demands of work, study and whānau commitments mean that there are often fewer opportunities and less time available to prioritise regular exercise and optimal nutrition. This invariably leads to an imbalanced lifestyle whereby physical wellbeing is compromised and at worst lead to the onset of preventable illnesses. Whilst many of us aspire to high-level goals such as becoming fitter, stronger or healthier, getting there is not easy. Moreover, finding the right knowledge and the right approach for engagement in physical activity is often a major difficulty. The myriad of information and advice available can at times be conflicting and so overwhelming that it is difficult to know where to begin. At IMLA, we recognise that if regular physical activity and healthy living are to be in an integral component of contemporary Māori lifestyles, the right approach is necessary. The importance of Māori cultural values and practices such as tikanga and kawa ought not to be underestimated. Yet the full potential of a method that incorporates tikanga and kawa in relation to physical wellbeing is yet to be reached.

Kawa Oranga is specifically designed for whānau, hapū and iwi. It is an integrated approach to physical wellbeing that incorporates aspects from both Te Ao Māori and modern science. Kawa Oranga draws inspiration from the past and relates to the present in order to better prepare for the future.

The broad outcomes for Kawa Oranga are:

• Engaging whānau, hapū and iwi in regular, lifelong physical activity including sport, resistance training, cardiovascular exercise, outdoor- based activities.
• Transferral of skills and knowledge to whānau, hapū and iwi in all aspects of optimal nutrition.
• Utilisation te reo Māori as the medium of engagement in exercise and sports-based activities.
• Development of new kawa specific to exercise, nutrition, safe households, positive social interaction, meditation and relaxation (nohopuku).
• Provision of a research-based Institute (IMLA) on the campus of Te Wānanga o Raukawa driven by enhancing outcomes for whānau, hapū and iwi and supporting a new approach to Māori Wellbeing.