30/09/2026
𝐊𝐚𝐮𝐦𝐚̄𝐭𝐮𝐚 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐞 – 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬
There are some days on the calendar that you look forward to a little more than others. For many of our kaumātua, those days are Tuesday and Thursday.
Our Kaumātua Programme is a weekly kaupapa provided by Raukawa for kuia and koroua aged 55 and over, providing a welcoming space to connect, build whanaungatanga and support hauora.
Held every Tuesday and Thursday from 10am to 1pm during the school term, each session includes health education, gentle movement, mobility, waiata and shared kai.
The programme has continued to grow, with what was once around 20 people attending across Putāruru and Tokoroa now reaching around 50. It has become a regular part of the week for many of our kaumātua, providing an opportunity to come together, keep active and enjoy time with others.
Recently, the programme opened the door to a beautiful initiative led by tuakana students from Te Wharekura o Te Kaokaoroa o Pātetere.
As part of the school PE programme, tauira were asked to develop, organise and facilitate a fitness programme. This created an opportunity for our rangatahi to work alongside our kaumātua through korikori tinana.
From there, our tauira and kaumātua worked together to bring a kapa haka performance to life, with tauira teaching our kaumātua a waiata ā-ringa in preparation for a Night Market fundraiser hosted by the school.
The fundraiser was held on 16 september, and sought to raise funds to support our tauira to travel to Japan for a cultural exchange.
This Night Market was hosted at the school grounds with a wide range of kai and an amazing band display from all the rangatahi. On arrival, our kaumātua were warmly welcomed by the tauira.
For some of our kaumātua, it was their first experience performing kapa haka. For others, it had been 50–60 years since they had last performed.
The tauira supported them throughout the performance while giving our kaumātua the space to lead the waiata and haka. For some whānau, three or four generations performed together.
It was a beautiful example of what can happen when our generations have the opportunity to spend time together, learn from one another and share in something special.
A special acknowledgement from our kaumātua and kaiwhakahaere to Whaea Senila and the team at Te Wharekura o Te Kaokaoroa o Pātetere for the mahi behind this kaupapa, with heartfelt thanks for the manaakitanga shown to our kaumātua throughout the evening.
This kaupapa is a great example of what can grow from programmes that support our kaumātua, bringing generations together through waiata, haka, laughter and shared memories.
Interested in joining the Kaumātua Programme?
𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐖𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐲 𝐨𝐧 📞 𝟎𝟖𝟎𝟎 𝐑𝐀𝐔𝐊𝐀𝐖𝐀 𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐡𝐚𝐮𝐨𝐫𝐚@𝐫𝐚𝐮𝐤𝐚𝐰𝐚.𝐨𝐫𝐠.𝐧𝐳 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.
