Kaumātua involved in the Taurite Tū programme reported an increase in strength, balance, cultural identity, and connection to marae and Māori health services.
More than 1,000 kaumātua have benefited from a ground-breaking kaupapa Māori physiotherapy-based exercise programme, led by pioneering Māori physiotherapist, educator and researcher, Katrina Pōtiki Bryant.
Taurite Tū is a strength and balance programme for Māori aged 50 and over, co-created by Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou, community members and physiotherapists.
Communities deliver weekly two-hour classes, the first hour is allocated to exercise and the second is an hour where the participating kaumātua share kai and spend time together.
Origins of Taurite Tū began in 2009, when Katrina (Waitaha, Kāti Māmoe and Kāi Tahu), now a Senior Lecturer and the Associate Dean Māori in the School of Physiotherapy, met Upoko at Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou, Edward Ellison, about a Māori-led solution to falls prevention.
“Edward was working as a Māori advisor to ACC at the time and ACC had acknowledged they were not catering for the needs of aging Māori, especially in the area of falls prevention,” Katrina says.
“From that foundation, the Taurite Tū Ltd research team was developed consisting of Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou members, kaupapa Māori health researchers and kaumātua Māori.
“This kaupapa Māori research was entirely community-led and co-designed by, with, and for Māori. More than one hundred and fifty kaumātua participants served as the rōpū kaiarahi (guiding group), ensuring that research priorities, implementation, and outcomes aligned with community aspirations.”
During the second hour of the programme invited speakers recommended by kaumātua are invited to attend and share their knowledge.
“These kaikōrero have included podiatrists, cancer awareness professionals, mirimiri practitioners, dentists, audiologists, diabetes nurses, physios, pharmacists, housing NZ, WINZ, lawyers talking about wills and more, it is a wrap-around hauora program.
“There is evidence that Transformative Impact Falls are the leading cause of injury-related hospitalisations for people over 65 in Aotearoa. For Māori, these events occur earlier and have more severe consequences. Existing falls prevention programmes have low Māori engagement, so having a program that specifically targets and helps our Māori kaumātua is extremely important.”
Kaumātua involved in the Taurite Tū reported an increase in strength, balance, cultural identity, and connection to marae and Māori health service, Katrina says.
“These outcomes have broader implications - improving hauora and enabling older Māori to remain active in their communities.”
The commitment to protecting indigenous knowledge led to Taurite Tū securing the first-ever mātauranga Māori contract clause with the Health Research Council of New Zealand.
Katrina explains the Taurite Tū team has nurtured capacity within Māori communities. Deliberately diverging from employing traditional, university-based research teams.
Katrina Pōtiki Bryant is involved in many different kaupapa at both national and international level. She continues to lead meaningful mahi that benefits kaumātua and whānau across Aotearoa.
“Methodological principles of kaupapa Māori were shared and created anew, to train and upskill researchers from within communities. These researchers undertook all aspects of Taurite Tū project research, fostering a new generation of Maori researchers and health delivery across more than twenty six regions.
“Additionally, Taurite Tū Ltd partnership with the University of Otago has facilitated hosting of three Māori summer research interns, further strengthening the pathways for Māori researchers.”
This program's impact reaches beyond Aotearoa, the Taurite Tū research team has shared its findings and methodologies with indigenous communities in Canada and USA, sharing the international relevance of kaupapa Māori research.
“Taurite Tū is far more than an exercise programme. It is a holistic, kaupapa Māori initiative that fosters physical health, social connection, cultural revitalisation, emotional wellbeing, and community engagement.
“Kaumātua consistently express deep appreciation for the aroha, manaakitanga, and whanaungatanga that underpin this initiative, describing it as a taonga for their hapori.”
“Seeing the continued benefits and hearing the stories come in from all around the country regularly with multiple different benefits from preventing falls makes our mahi all worth it. Hearing that our kaumātua have increased mobility and balance, being able to get on a plane to see mokopuna in Australia for the first time, being able to go shopping without having a mini accident, to walking without mobility aids, and reducing medication. So many stories and support for the kaupapa is overwhelming and encouraging at the same time.”
Katrina hopes that the reach for Taurite Tū will continue, with already more than twenty more communities requesting that the program be made available for them.
She has also been involved in establishing an international indigenous network within World Physiotherapy, following presenting at an Indigenous Leadership in Physiotherapy symposium at the World Physiotherapy Congress in Dubai 2023.
“This led to conversations with the president and CEO of World Physiotherapy about forming a network that would support indigenous physiotherapists to be able to practice the valid rehabilitation and movement practices that have been used by their ancestors, as have been incorporated into Taurite Tū."
Taurite Tū Ltd has been nominated for multiple awards in 2025, including the New Zealand Primary health Care Awards/He Tohu Mauri Ora: Best Senior Health service category.
Katrina has also been able to present Taurite Tū within many international indigenous, falls prevention and physiotherapy forums, to find out more, visit the Taurite Tū website.
Ōtākou Whakaihu waka/University of Otago website https://www.otago.ac.nz/news/newsroom/taurite-tu-recognised-as-taonga-for-communities?fbclid=IwY2xjawMlBlVleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHoHidExOpIb5X4xQLGJRUBH_JwG6oxPuWJ1yAMFqK6YDcdVcU504VoMm2CnT_aem_j4vwM9vAPKnZFBIAJWWZ9w