About Tama Ora

Tama Ora is a partnership between Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu and Sport New Zealand Ihi Aotearoa and is aligned with Sport New Zealand’s He Oranga Poutama, which is designed to create pathways for tamariki and rangatahi Māori to stay active.

Through Tama Ora, we aspire to help tamariki and rangatahi connect to Te Ao Māori through physical activity, this might be through taonga takaro, mahi a rēhia or contemporary sports with specific focus on whānau Māori.

Tama Ora is for individuals and groups in Te Waipounamu, Rakiura and Rēkohu/Wharekauri who want to create an event, project or programme that will help achieve these aspirations.

Applications for the latest funding round are now closed.

“Through Tama Ora, we aspire to help tamariki and rangatahi connect to Te Ao Māori through physical activity.”

Application criteria

A successful application will:

  • Target tamariki/rangatahi in Te Waipounamu, Rakiura and Rēkohu/Wharekauri between the ages of 5-25 years.
  • Focus on engaging tamariki/rangatahi in physical activity.
  • Include goal-setting and working towards an achievement as part of the programme.
  • Provide a budget that lists all associated costs and an implementation plan.
  • Identify outcomes that will benefit tamariki/rangatahi as a result of participation.
  • Align with te ao Māori or incorporate te reo Māori me ōna tikanga.
  • Align with Te Whetū Rehua (see below).

Every Body Active

Tama Ora aligns with Every Body Active, the strategic vision of Sport New Zealand | Ihi Aotearoa. This means:

  • All tamariki, rangatahi and adults being physically active through play, active recreation and sport.
  • No one missing out on the benefits of play, active recreation, and sport, respective for factors such as gender, disability, ethnicity, sexual orientation or where in Aotearoa they live.
  • Every New Zealander is able to access a quality experience at home, within their neighbourhood and across their community.
  • Every New Zealander is able to access a quality experience at home, within their neighbourhood and across their community.

Te Whetu Rēhua

Te Whetu Rēhua is a framework used by He Oranga Poutama, Ihi Aotearoa Sport New Zealand. The framework supports whānau to consider how they might design or adapt activities to be culturally responsive to Māori. It outlines a five-criteria continuum to help determine ‘as Māori’ participation for the context of the He Oranga Poutama initiative.
The closer an activity maps to the criteria in the inner star, closest to the ‘As Māori’ centre, the more likely it is to contribute to the He Oranga Poutama of participating as ‘Māori’ in sport and recreation.
Generally, three dimensions of the inner star are required for a strong He Oranga Poutama goal connection.

Enquire about our Tama Ora fund

He pātai āu? Have you got a question, give us a call, or send us your pātai

Other funds you may be interested in

Ā mātou pūtea

We have funding streams available for whānau living in Te Waipounamu, Rakiura, and Wharekauri

Tūātea is a next-generation wave social investment fund that gives whānau the agency to realise their own aspirations with targeted assistance for those striving to create a thriving business.

Tai Neke, Tai Ora aims to support kaupapa that help whānau to understand the importance of nurturing all aspects of their hauora, as well as building a connection to te ao Māori and to their hapori.

This is a contestable fund which supports rangatahi wellbeing, intergenerational leadership, succession planning and cultural development

Kōanga Kai promotes kai security by supporting a network of māra kai across Te Waipounamu.