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Regional | Fitness - Whakapakari Tinana

Fitness of the Gods

A five-year-old Māori fitness system is set to launch online next month, and it's already attracting worldwide interest. Tens of thousands of people have signed onto Māori Movement, a fitness movement based on the Māori gods.

You can't find a fitness program any more Māori than this.

Māorimovement Founder Ngārino Te Waati says, “We start with the basic leg movements and then we go through cardio work. From there we hone into the environment and practice the arts of the Māori gods.”

Te Waati explains Māori Movement is based on the individual's own four cornerstones of Māori health. Both he and his wife have been running the movement for the last five years.

“Without a doubt, our first priority is to help strengthen our Māori world especially with all the statistics stacked against Māori.”

The first promotional video was posted to Facebook yesterday. It's been viewed more than 80,000 times. Ngārino says more than 50,000 people have signed up to the movement from Australia, Hawai'i, Germany and New Zealand.

“The world sees the haka when it's done by the All Blacks and they love it. I'm adding to that pathway.”

The couple's plan to launch the movement online next month is a strategic one.

“This is the ideal program for those of us training towards the impending Te Matatini festival. Each set only takes 7 minutes.”

It's a sneak peak for now. The rest of the details can be found on the Māori Movement Facebook page.