Hītori ō Tae Ora Tinana
(History of Tae Ora Tinana)
Tae Ora Tinana exec, Tae Ora Tinana Kaumātua and manawhenua representatives in Ōtepoti circa 2008
Representing Māori in the Profession
‘Ma te kahukura, ka rere te manu’
With feathers a bird can fly. The korowai (feathered cloak) is made to shield, embrace and encompass the wearer. Tae Ora Tinana is the Māori partner of Physiotherapy New Zealand (PNZ) and is the korowai which supports Māori physiotherapists and physiotherapy students throughout their training and careers (Lynda Kirkman, 2013).
A solid foundation
In 1997, PNZ (then known as the New Zealand Society of Physiotherapists) sent out a request for members who were Māori or had experience and interest in working for Māori, to form a committee to assist the organisation in writing a Bicultural Policy. That committee became the Bicultural Advisory Team, working on several other projects for PNZ.
The Bicultural Advisory Team organised a hui with National Executive in May 2001 at the Awataha Marae. The Minister of Māori Affairs, Hon Parekura Horomoia, attended the powhiri. After presentations by other Māori health professional organisations, attendees decided on the need for a standing committee. During this hui the name Tae Ora Tinana was established. Tae means to arrive, reach, achieve or extend; Ora can mean to survive, be alive, recover, heal, or healthy; Tinana means torso, self, person, or reality.
The key values of Tae Ora Tinana include:
Māoritanga – to respect and celebrate things Māori through our activities and ways of working. Woven within Māoritanga is Rangatiratanga (the power to define, decide and protect Māori taonga as promised by Te Tiriti o Waitangi), which includes the use of te reo Māori, waiata karakia, and tikanga.
Whanaungatanga – respect and acknowledge relationships which might be based on family connections or professional networks.
Manaakitanga – cultural guidance support and nurturing of each other within our professional lives and for students during their training.
Hauora – improving the quality and access to physiotherapy for Māori
Mātauranga Māori –Knowledge, professional development, research including consultation and international links.
In February 2012 Gill Stotter, the then-PNZ President and Lynda Kirkman, then-Chair of Tae Ora Tinana, signed the partnership agreement between the PNZ Executive and the Kaitiaki (guardians) who make decisions about the strategic direction and activities of Tae Ora Tinana.
These strategic directions work towards our aim of improving the health of whānau, hapa and iwi:
Develop and advance Tae Ora Tinana networking for unity, strength and positive change.
Develop and advance manaakitanga: cultural guidance, professional support and mentoring.
Governance level structure and responsibilities for Tae Ora Tinana within PNZ for activity which leads to improvement in Māori health outcomes.
PNZ identifies and responds to the expectations of Māori consumer of physiotherapy services.
Develop and advance the profile of Tae Ora Tinana.
Develop and advance the profile of PNZ to whānau, hapu, iwi and the Māori community.
Advance and develop Māori health in physiotherapy curricula.
The history of Tae Ora Tinana is rich with very solid support from Te Rununga (Māori Nurses Association) and Te Ora (Māori Doctors Association).
This history was collated with input by previous kaitiaki of Tae Ora Tinana
Written, updated and edited by B Watson 2022
Tae Ora Tinana with the Pou ‘Arataiki’ at the Dunedin School of Physiotherapy clinic
Tae Ora Tinana executive and kaumātua at an annual hui
Continual evolution
On 25 May 2019, Tae Ora Tinana held a hui in Tāmaki Makaurau to formally acknowledge and farewell the remaining founding Kaitiaki – Ann McKellar, Lynda Kirkman, and Kate Haswell. These wāhine toa played a pivotal role in the establishment and early stewardship of Tae Ora Tinana, and we acknowledge their enduring commitment to Māori health and physiotherapy.
As these pioneers stepped back from active kaitiaki roles, a new generation of kaitiaki were welcomed to continue the kaupapa. Since 2019, Tae Ora Tinana has continued to evolve – shifting from a focus on individual kaitiaki carrying kaupapa within the profession, to a broader approach that supports the physiotherapy sector as a whole to realise its aspirations for Māori health equity and Māori cultural capability.
Today, past and present kaitiaki, alongside the newly developed roles of kaitautoko, can be seen across the health and education landscape contributing to positive, collective change. Through leadership, advocacy, and support, Tae Ora Tinana continues to strengthen the profession’s ability to improve hauora Māori outcomes and grow Māori leadership within physiotherapy.
Written, updated and edited by W Petley 2025
Tauira Hui a tau ki Te Mānukanuka o Hoturoa marae, circa 2013
Tae Ora Tinana kaitiaki and Administrator (Hannah Ganley) of PNZ, 2024“The kaitiaki of Tae Ora Tinana have done so well over the years. I am beyond proud to have been involved with them for so long”
Wiremu (Bill) Barlow
Kaumātua of Tae Ora Tinana