KAUMĀTUA began the games with line dancing and exercises.
FIERCE competition and lots of laughs: this year’s Kaumātua Games on Friday at the Les Munro Centre were a blast.
The youngest participants were aged in their 50s – the oldest in their mid-90s.
Manuhiri (guests) arrived from as far as Taranaki, Paeroa and Thames, while the locals came from Te Kūiti, Ōtorohanga, Taumarunui and Benneydale to name a few.
In the middle of the action were Ōtorohanga’s lifestyle fitness group, which led group exercises at the start.
The free day out kicked off with a karakia and pōwhiri, sandwiches and line dancing.
Anne Lemieux from Maniapoto Marae Pact Trust said the event was designed so “all ages and abilities” could play.
Fourteen teams attended, each with six to eight members.
Competition was fierce across events such as seated volleyball (played with a beach ball), an egg-and-spoon race using marbles, “toss the bean bag in the hole”, and giant quoits – throwing hoops over road cones.
Plus, there was the scandalously named “sexy hips” played with a tennis ball in a stocking, dangling from participants’ waists.
“It’s great being part of it and seeing how much fun everybody has. The kaumātua always want to come back, that’s a testament to it really,” Anne said.
The greatest benefits were wellbeing and socialisation.
The games got older people out of their homes and supported them to catch up with their friends and relatives, some of whom they might not have seen for a while.
“They want to be able to play, not just on the sideline watching.”
It was different to what people normally expected of kaumātua, Anne said.
And it was valuable for the younger volunteers to see a new side of the older people they cared for.
For many of the kaumātua, sport had been a big part of their lives; and a few had been representative softball players in their time.
“So, they were no strangers to winning.
“They’re very competitive. There’s always screaming and yelling.”
“You have to tell the people running the games that they need to be firm in their decisions.
“Sometimes they get so into it – they jump up and they forget they can’t breathe.”
The games have taken place every year since 2008, aside from a two-year break during Covid.
They were organised by Maniapoto Marae Pact Trust and Te Kūiti Community House. Waitomo District Council sponsored the use of the hall.
