June 2014: For Ngahuia Corbett, Maatua Whangai Programme Coordinator, it was about working together as a group, “we don’t do many things together as staff, so I thought it would be amazing if we started a health and weight-loss challenge.”
The hope is that over time staff will learn new habits and adapt to a healthier lifestyle and continue to lead and support the community by example. “To get organised, we have developed our own Whānau Ora plan, and while each member has their own goals, the main goal is to develop better eating habits while at work”, explains Ms Corbett. “The benefits of this challenge extend further than ourselves because they impact our whānau, hapū and iwi”, she adds.
There is a weekly leaderboard in the office that keeps track of the scores and which has been a great motivator for everyone as it allows those who have placed to feel a sense of achievement.
Ms Corbett has put together a weekly exercise schedule for everyone which shows them what is happening during the week so that they can join. She has also approached Korowai Aroha to look at scheduling a workshop in the coming weeks that will help with exercise and nutrition information.
“The support has been amazing” says Ms Corbett and we couldn’t have done this without the generous support of Gold’s Gym, Korowai Aroha, Lush Hair and Beauty, Anytime Fitness, Moko101, Chey Marie Photography and Ahu Boutique. It’s incredible to see the amazing support we’ve gotten from our community!”