Kauora X Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse
Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse x Tangaroa Ara Rau ki Ōtaki awa (ft Mātahi trying to sneak away).
I tēnei mārama i tae mai te Netipōro tīma a Pulse ki te whakatinana te kaupapa o Kauora ki Ōtaki awa. He uri tēnei nō ngā wai o Ōtaki awa, nā reira, mīharo rawa mātou ngā kaimahi ki te tautoko tēnei kaupapa, kia tūtaki ngā kainetipōro ki tō mātou tupuna awa, ara ki te ako ētahi o ngā Kauora pūkenga. He hatakihi te kaupapa, heoi, ko te mea nui ko te kotahitanga kei waenga i te tīma.
This month Tangaroa Ara Rau were privileged to take a session with Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse netball team at Ōtaki awa. Our Kauora team of Terina and Te Kahurangi supported by Shelley Ashton from the Ōtaki pools prepped to welcome the team to a fun session at the Ōtaki awa where the main kaupapa was kotahitanga. Kotahitanga is about unity, togetherness and within a netball context its about bringing the team together to strengthen their bonds so that as a collective they will be stronger on the court. So, for a group of awesome wāhine who spend alot of their days on court and training on land, this was a great opportunity to get them out of their usual environment and into the realm of ngā atua Māori, a space where we are ultimately not in charge.
To begin our session we welcomed the team ki te kōngutu awa o Ōtaki, the Ōtaki river mouth where we all introduced ourselves, and the team were able to acknowledge our tupuna awa through their ko wai nō wai and karakia. After a tikanga and health and safety briefing we were ready to get into it and although it wasn’t the hottest morning, these wāhine were ready to go! We went through the pūkenga of the kauora kaupapa that included: kia tau te wairua, kotahinga, and kaukau roa. They engaged in skills such as floating and treading water, HELP and huddle positions, staying tau or relaxed in deep water, survival strokes, they did a river crossing as a team and then got into some practice rescue scenarios all under the guidance of our awa.
To keep these sessions safe for everyone, alongside our extensive “Ngā tikanga o Kauora” operating health and safety, we make it very clear to the team where the currents are, we have safety zones where they are not allowed to drift past, we also have a SUP flotation device in the water at all times. But they enter this realm knowing that they must follow the guidance and tikanga of the awa if they want to remain safe and enjoy their time in this space. Through doing this session at the awa, they were forced out of their comfort zones and had no option but to look after each other. Our awa provides lessons that we as people can not control, but instead can take on board and use them to live better lives and it was so cool to see these wāhine embrace that, have a laugh, and support each other through this experience.
Mai i te pou o Kauora ki Tangaroa Ara Rau, tēnei te mihi maioha ki te tīma a Pulse, ōtira ki ngā kaimahi ki Te Wānanga o Raukawa. Ki ngā wāhine i whakatinana tēnei kaupapa, i ū kaha ki ngā pūkenga ahakoa te makariri o te wai, nei rā te mihi kia koutou. Ko te manako ka kawea e koutou te mauri o ngā wai o Ōtaki mō te katoa o te whakataetae, tae atu ki te whakamutunga! Just want to thank the Pulse for embracing this kaupapa, having a laugh and enjoying themselves despite the coldness of the water. Carry the mauri of Ōtaki awa with you right through to finals this year, Tangaroa Ara Rau will be in full support!
Nā Terina Raureti rāua ko Te Kahurangi Skelton-Pue i tuhi
If you have any questions or inquiries about these type of sessions please follow the tab to contact us, Ngā mihi.
