Tipene Kapa-Kingi (center) with his brothers Heemi (left) and Eru (right). Photo: Suplied
The first ever reo Māori CrossFit competition Mātātoa is back for 2024 - the competition was held over the weekend at Spark Arena in Auckland.
The brainchild of triplets Eru, Heemi and Tipene Kapa-Kingi, Mātātoa was created as a way of combining fitness and te reo Māori.
Tipene Kapa-Kingi said he and his brothers have been involved in CrossFit - or Nakawhiti - for about five years.
"In those early years we noticed that the wairua Māori and Māori representation in general wasn't at a place that we would like it to be at, so we thought combining it with another huge passion of ours being te reo Māori me ngā tikanga Māori we saw ourselves as building a bridge in between those two worlds."
The goal is to normalise the use of te reo Māori within the fitness arena and make Māori feel more at home in fitness, he said.
The competition is in its third year with about 250 athletes competing in four events across the day. During intermission there was also a rangatahi showcase with about 10 young people throwing it down on the arena floor.
"It's been a full on Matariki period so the plan now is to take some time to reflect and think about "te anga whakamua" - the way forward for the competition, Kapa-Kingi said.
"Mātātoa isn't just limited to the competition but it's essentially a kaupapa and a broader mindset that we want to instil in people that te oranga o te reo me te oranga o te tangata, the state of te reo and the state of health within each person doesn't have to trade off."
Tipene Kapa-Kingi. Photo: Suplied
Now that Matariki has passed it was a perfect time to slow down and take stock, he said.
"For our kaupapa driven people out there don't invest so much into the kaupapa that you're taking away from your own hauora (health).
"It is ok to prioritise that and actually the end result and the longer term impact is greater if you look after yourself as much as you look after the different kaupapa that we all have within te ao Māori."
When it came to his whānau Kapa-Kingi said it was pretty normal to work with his brothers.
"This is one of many kaupapa that we run and as a wider whānau growing up we've always been very kaupapa and all paddling the same waka not matter what the kaupapa is."
Mātātoa has become a 'whānau activity' - and Kapa-Kingi said he wouldn't want to do with anyone else.