A kaumātua group of 12 aged between 60 to 80 years old from Rotorua completed the Kaumātua Iron Māori held in Napier at the weekend.
Laurie Morrison of the Oranga Tinana Kaumātua groups says, “I was so proud of the rōpū. We persevered with Tāwhirimātea, he was relentless- nearly blew us back to Rotorua.”
The Oranga Tinana Kaumātua group has over 30 members, 12 of whom participated in the competition.
The group trains twice a week at Toa Advanced Health & Fitness.
The gym's co-owner Preston Whare says, “They bring a lot of warmth and a lot of laughter in the gym every time they come in.”
Morrison says, “The kaumātua love it here, we train twice every week, each kaumatua pays $2 to come and for many of them it’s their first time ever in a gym.”