Kauora Ahurei: celebrating water competency and safety through a kaupapa Māori lens

Back for its second year at Coastlands Aquatic Centre, Kauora Ahurei, the reo Māori swimming sports event is making waves in and out of the puna kaukau (pool). 

Conducted entirely in te reo Māori, Kauora Ahurei is an innovative approach to water safety, being the first swimming sports event of its kind in Aotearoa celebrating Māori water competency.

Splashing down at Coastlands Aquatic Centre during Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, over 300 tamariki from three kura in Ōtaki: Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Rito, Te Kura ā iwi o Whakatupuranga Rua Mano and Te Kura o Ōtaki, made the trip down to Paraparaumu to compete, showcasing swimming skills developed throughout the year.

The vibes were sky high, and you could hear the fun and laughter coming out of Coastlands Aquatic Centre, all the way up to Paraparaumu Library.

Established by Dr Terina Raureti (Ngāti Kapu) and supported by the Ōtaki Pool team, the event is based on the pūkenga wai (water competencies) of the Kauora programme.

"Kauora Ahurei is unique because we're here to whakanui (celebrate) our swimmers in a way that's unique to Māori", says Terina.

Tauira (students) are encouraged to grow their pūkenga wai and focus on skills they would be using when out and about in the taiao (natural environment), such as swimming at the river or in the ocean.

Reo Māori in the pool

Many tamariki involved in Kauora speak te reo Māori as their primary language, and having swimming sports delivered in te reo celebrates swimmers in a way that is unique to them.

“Ōtaki Pool and Shelley has kindly taken on our kaupapa to support getting more Māori in the puna kaukau, so we've been working together to increase more te reo Māori in our facility,” says Terina.

Whether it's during a lesson or throughout the swimming sports event, "our MCing is done in te reo, all of our kaimahi are speaking te reo to our tamariki and we're utilising Māori pūkenga wai, rather than just doing swimming races," says Terina.

Putting water competencies into action

With six pūkenga wai that tamariki build on throughout the year, tamariki competed in challenges designed to test those skills.

One activity challenged the older competitors around the competency of ‘Kautaki’ (safe entries) with a manu comp, focusing on entering the water safely.

Another pūkenga wai is ‘Kauruku’, the underwater competency where competitors race to collect objects from the bottom of the pool.

‘Kauawhi’, the skill around safe equipment and flotation devices, saw tamariki putting on their life jackets correctly, followed by a swimming race.

Winners later got to stand on the podium and showcase their medals to their kura, whānau and hapori (community) at the prize giving. Ka rawe!

Interesting in taking part in Kauora?

Interested in your tamariki learning water safety and swimming skills in an reo Māori environment? During school hours, Kauora can be delivered to kura or kohanga, or as part of the after-kura programme outside of school.

Call into Ōtaki Pools and chat with Penny on reception, or send an enquiry through the Kauora webpage.