Celebrate the wāhine of Tairāwhiti

Well Wāhine is back for its fourth year! 

Whiti Ora have teamed up with local providers to celebrate International Women’s Day and bring ten days of activities focused on wāhine health, movement and wellness. 

Between Friday 8 – Sunday 17 March there are over 30 activities on offer ranging from whānau fitness, yoga, rugby, badminton, surfing, line dancing and so much more. 

Providers will deliver free sessions for women, girls and gender diverse people to connect and be active in a safe, inclusive and fun environment. These events will happen in spaces and venues across Gisborne and stretching up the East Coast.  

“We look forward to this time of year, when we bring together all sorts of wellbeing, fitness activities and seminars” said Whiti Ora Active Communities Advisor Sarah Pocock. 

“The feedback from participants has shown us that it’s all too easy for wāhine to de-prioritise activities that get them moving or connected. As girls, women, mums, and nans, we face many barriers to being active and having fun.” 

“Well Wāhine Week takes the cost, pressure, intimidation out of the equation. Some are pro-actively child-friendly so mums can bring their little ones to be looked after while they get down to the business of improving their own wellbeing. Participants find the all-women environments safe, judgement-free and empowering. And it’s exciting to see providers using this week to try new things and learn about what works for the wāhine of our varied communities.” 

The kaupapa of Well Wāhine is to remove the barriers that women and girls may face when participating in sport, active recreation and play. The ten days is all about trying something new, getting out of your comfort zone, meeting new people and overcoming the prerequisite that you must be good at something to start. 

Click here to learn more about the kaupapa, view the full calendar of events and to register.

Post-Cyclone Event to Provide Connection

In these challenging times, examples of the community’s desire to reach out, support one another, and to connect have been unmistakable. It is this spirit of connection that will permeate this year’s Well Wāhine Week.  

Between 8 – 19 March, providers will deliver free sessions for women, girls, and gender diverse people to come together and prioritise their wellbeing. Around 50 activities span the calendar, ranging from seminars about nutrition and women’s health, to physical activities like tramping, yoga, and rugby. The sessions welcome newcomers to safe, inclusive, and fun environments.  

“One of the providers I spoke to mentioned how the communications disruptions we faced after the Cyclone created an acute desire for people to see their friends face to face, particularly by their older players,” said Sarah Pocock, Active Communities Advisor at Whiti Ora. “We hope that this year’s calendar of events will allow members of our community to carve out even an hour for themselves.”  

“We are looking for ways to support our hardest-hit communities with bespoke Well Wāhine events when the time is right,” said Ms Pocock. “We are in contact with community members so that they can drive the timelines for this. If there are providers keen to add support to future rural and Coast events when they happen, contact us as Whiti Ora.” 

Cost can be a significant barrier when it comes to participation. To overcome that, Whiti Ora will ensure that all activities during the 12 days are free. Bring a mate or attend alone, these sessions are for everyone.  

“Some events will have limited numbers and will require registration, and some will require more time to lock in their location,” said Helayna Ruifrok, Active Communities Advisor at Whiti Ora. “We recommend people check with the website for the most up-to-date event information.” Providers who have an activity that they’d like to add to the event should reach out to the team via the Whiti Ora website. 

To learn more about the kaupapa, view the full calendar of events and to register, click here.  

Check out the calendar, grab your whānau and try it, love it, be it! 

Well Wāhine Week Puts Buzz Back Into Tairāwhiti

Tuesday marked International Womens Day and the final day of Well Wāhine Week.

Well Wāhine Week saw hundreds of women prioritising their wellness and trying new things in a time that has a lot of uncertainty. Small, safe events were able to go ahead when the community needed them most. The buzz was back in the air.

Kate Rhodes from Well Nutrition hosted a joint workshop with Amanda Roe from Functional Again. “It was great to see a good turnout of wāhine” Said Rhodes. “They were excited to celebrate their menstrual cycle and eager to build their knowledge about important women’s health conditions such as polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and endometriosis. You could tell wāhine left the sessions feeling empowered to protect and improve their own wellbeing.’

Over the 10 days, Whiti Ora in collaboration with over 30 providers, had close to 50 free, wāhine only events, plus a weeks’ worth of free Les Mills classes at the YMCA.

“To all the amazing wāhine in our community that took part, we hope that you took something away from Well Wāhine Week, whether it was a new friendship, activity that you’ll continue or a newfound appreciation for yourself.” Said Tracey Harkess of Whiti Ora.

Well Wāhine Week wrapped up with a closing ceremony where close to $2,000 worth of spot prizes were given away that were generously donated by local sponsors.

“We were thrilled to receive support from so many local businesses and organisations,” said Sarah Pocock, Active Communities Advisor at Whiti Ora. “The spot prizes added a real excitement to the closing ceremony. We were honoured to have support from Beaufoy, Blitz Surf Shop, Far East Coffee, Functional Again, Gisborne Boardriders Club, Kingpin, Palembang, AM Espresso, Sean & Fiona Shivnan, and the YMCA.”

While Well Wāhine Week coincides with International Womens Day, women want to connect with their wellness all year round. Whiti Ora will be keeping the momentum going all year round with events updated to their website.

Get ready to try it, love it and be it with Well Wāhine Week 2022. 

Well Wāhine Week will kick off this year with a sunrise hikoi up Titirangi maunga on Saturday 26 February. 

For ten days, Whiti Ora and local providers will celebrate the women of Tairāwhiti, hosting a range of activities in which women and girls can take part. There are over 50 free events from 33 providers, including surfing, waka ama, group fitness classes and workshops around women’s health and wellbeing. 

Vesna Radonich, International Paddling Coach, delivered a Have-a-go Waka Ama at last year’s Well Wāhine Week. “Just watching the smiles on their faces,” she says, “the laughs of excitement and knowing the appreciation that they got to give Waka Ama a go was the highlight for me.” 

The kaupapa of Well Wāhine is to remove the barriers that women and girls may face when participating in sport, active recreation and play. The ten days is all about trying something new, getting out of your comfort zone, meeting new people and overcoming the prerequisite that you must be good at something to start. 

“Last year was such a success,” says Sarah Pocock, Active Communities Advisor. “It was inspiring to see all these strangers coming together with all the fear and pressure removed. The vibe was friendly and adventurous. I can’t wait to see what this year brings!” 

Vaccine Pass requirements are subject to the provider’s event. Some events will require them. For those that do not require Vaccine Passes, these events will be limited to under 25 participants. For those that do require Vaccine Passes, these events will be limited to under 100 participants. More information on which events require Vaccine Passes can be found on the Whiti Ora website. 

To view the full calendar of events, more information about Vaccine Passes and to register for an event, click here. 

So, check out the calendar, grab your whānau and try it, love it, be it! 

Well Wahine Is Back For 2022!

Tū mai wāhine mā! Whakanuia te wiki mō ngā wāhine o Te Tairāwhiti – Stand up wāhine mā. Celebrate the week of our women of Te Tairāwhiti.

Back for its second year, Whiti Ora are teaming up with local providers to celebrate International Women’s Day to bring 10 days of activities focused on wāhine health, movement and wellness.

“We can expect to see have-a-go sports, educational talks around women’s health, PCOS and endometriosis, and supporting your body and mind with nutritious kai and more” said Whiti Ora Active Communities Advisor Helayna Ruifrok.

“The buzz in the community that Well Wāhine Week brought last year was incredible. We saw a lot of wāhine being empowered by trying out new activities, getting active and meeting new people. We wanted to be able to provide that opportunity again in 2022.” said Ruifrok.

Whiti Ora has secured funding to support providers who are offering activities throughout the 10 days. “We know that cost is a significant barrier when it comes to getting wāhine to participate in new activities. So, to remove the barrier of cost and increase the quality of these events, we have funding to support providers. This means more wāhine can have the opportunity to try something new, and ultimately the opportunity to empower themselves.” said Tracey Harkess, of Whiti Ora..

For groups that want to offer an event during Well Wāhine, the application is closing Tuesday 1 February so make sure to get your event in to be a part of the Well Wāhine buzz this year.

To learn more about the kaupapa and what funding is available for providers, click here.

The full calendar of events will be released in February.

Well Wahine at Te Kura Awhio​

Well Wāhine at Te Kura Awhio​ ✨

We’ve got a series of fun, free, have-a-go sessions coming up over the next few months for wāhine.
Next week, have-a-go at wāhine only pilates, Jiu Jitsu, strike fit and strength and conditioning classes.
📍 16 Fitzherbert Street
💰 Free for the week of 14 – 20 June
👩 For wāhine and kōhine (women and girls)
📱 No booking required, just walk in
👫 Child friendly, child space available

Make sure you keep an eye out for the next have-a-go activity!