In 1997, the New Zealand Society of Physiotherapists (NZSP) sent out a request for members who were Māori, of Māori descent or had experience and interest in working for Māori, to form a committee to assist the NZSP in writing a Bicultural Policy
• In 1997, the New Zealand Society of Physiotherapists (NZSP) sent out a request for members who were Māori, of Māori descent or had experience and interest in working for Māori, to form a committee to assist the NZSP in writing a Bicultural Policy. That committee became the Bicultural Advisory Team, working on several other projects for the Society.
• 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. This was where Tae Ora Tinana began (at first called Taeora Tinana). Translation: Revitalising the body.
• In 2002 we began work on the Guidelines for Cultural Competence in Physiotherapy Education and Practice in Aotearoa/New Zealand. These were ratified by the 2004 NZSP Annual General Meeting.
• At a hui in 2005 between Tae Ora Tinana and the NZSP National Executive, it was agreed that the overall aim of the partnership is to achieve more Māori input into National Executive decision making, leading to greater Māori influence in the physiotherapy profession, as a step towards better health outcomes for Māori.
• In 2008 we welcomed Matua Bill Barlow as kaumatua and Whaea Pat Barlow as our kuia and the name of our roopu became Tae Ora Tinana.
• The Cultural Competence Kit was developed by Jarrod Ria, with input from the Kaitiaki.
• Tae Ora Tinana also had input into the NZSP Code of Ethics review 2009.
• After hui with National Executive, a Partnership Agreement between Tae Ora Tinana and the National Executive of Physiotherapy New Zealand (formal name still New Zealand Society of Physiotherapists) was established early in 2012.
From the beginning, the Kaitiaki of Tae Ora Tinana have given high priority to hui with tauira (students). We have had noho marae for the tauira every second year, alternating between the North and South Islands so that students at AUT and Otago can attend. The physiotherapy schools at the two universities have supported Māori physiotherapy students to attend. In the years when we have not had noho marae, we have met for kai with Māori students from the two schools.
• The hui at Taharangi Marae, Rotorua in May 2002 was the first to have a strong focus on tauira. Sixteen students attended from AUT University and seven from Otago University.
• Maui Hudson arranged for Kaitiaki to hui at Kuputuhi Marae, Waitomo in November 2003. This was a very productive hui where values were agreed that expressed the activities and strategies for Tae Ora Tinana.
The history of Tae Ora Tinana is rich with very solid support from Te Rununga Māori Nurses Association and Te Ora Māori Doctors.
The hard work over many years of Te Runanga in the development of cultural safety in the nursing profession was generously shared with Tae Ora Tinana when we developed the Cultural Competence document for NZSP. Te Ora were present at our first Tae Ora Tinana hui in support of our initiative in establishing a representative roopu for Māori Physiotherapy students and Māori physiotherapists. Since then we have received invitations to their annual hui and the intention is that Tae Ora Tinana always have someone present at those hui.
Ngā Pou Mana, Māori Allied Health Professionals Association whose development Tae Ora Tinana led, has been a focus of Tae Ora Tinana working with Māori allied health colleagues in occupational therapy, podiatry, speech language therapy, dietetics, pharmacy, health social work, psychotherapy etc in recent years. Lynda Kirkman is its current Chair.