A researcher has called for kaumatua or Maori elders to take part in a study that aims to find out how healthy eating and excercise can help them to remain independent as they age.
The research, conducted by both the University of Auckland and the University of Otago, started in September last year.
Forty people in Howick and Whangarei were already participating in the study.
But lead researcher Ruth Teh, of Auckland University, said it wanted up to 80 more people, including tangata whenua from those areas to come forward.
Dr Teh said there was a lot of research about elderly people, but not enough published about elderly Maori, which was why she was keen to get tangata whenua involved in the study.
She said according to New Zealand statistics, the population of elderly Maori was increasing, which was twice as fast as non-Maori.
Dr Teh said she was looking for elderly people close to becoming frail so they could see how exercise and a healthy diet could help them.