Hauora Tangata is a safe, empowering hauora hub in Frankton, Kirikiriroa (Hamilton), offering gym training, fitness classes and holistic hauora services to support whānau on their hauora journeys. The kaupapa emerged from humble beginnings as Hale Health Centre back in April 2016 — a concept brought home to Aotearoa after the founders saw the vision for it in Ahitereiria. As the business evolved over time it became Hauora Tangata, driven by a clear purpose: health inequities, particularly for Māori and other ethnic minorities, were quickly identified, and the team set out to improve health outcomes for Māori.
Today Hauora Tangata is a collaborative team of hauora practitioners with a common purpose — providing holistic hauora services underpinned by Māori values to meet the needs of Te Tangata. The team journeys together with whānau in their healing journey through the stages of Te Kore, Te Po, Te Ao Marama, working toward meaningful hauora transformations and, ultimately, mauri ora.
At the heart of the hub is a Kaupapa Māori 24-hour gym facility, grounded in Māori cultural values and principles, giving members unrestricted access to workout facilities and equipment at any time of the day or night. Around the gym floor sits a wide circle of services: personal training, group fitness classes, physiotherapy, exercise rehabilitation and physiology, massage therapy, acupuncture and cupping, rongoā (traditional Māori healing practices), nutrition advice, Evolt body composition scans and return to mahi programmes.
Members consistently describe the atmosphere as whānau — supportive staff and gym members, no judgement, no ego and positive energy. Many call it more than just a gym, and long-timers of six years say they would never train anywhere else.
Walk into Hauora Tangata and, according to its members, you feel something straight away. 'It starts right from when you walk in our door, there's this feeling you get,' the team says. They even have a name for it: kotahitanga — working together to uplift hauora. This whānau owned, led and cultured gym in Frankton, Kirikiriroa (Hamilton) has built its whole reputation on that feeling: community, no judgement, no ego, and above all, positive energy.
The story began in April 2016, when the doors first opened as Hale Health Centre — a concept brought home to Aotearoa after the founders saw the vision for it in Ahitereiria. As the business evolved, so did its name and its purpose, becoming Hauora Tangata. Health inequities, particularly for Māori and other ethnic minorities, were quickly identified, and improving health outcomes for Māori became central to the kaupapa.
Today Hauora Tangata is a collaborative team of hauora practitioners with a common purpose: providing holistic hauora services underpinned by Māori values to meet the needs of Te Tangata. The team describes journeying together with whānau in their healing journey through the stages of Te Kore, Te Po and Te Ao Marama — working toward meaningful hauora transformations and, essentially, mauri ora.
At the centre of the hub is the 24 Hour Gym Facility, a Kaupapa Māori gym grounded in Māori cultural values and principles. Members get unrestricted access to the workout facilities and equipment at any time of the day or night, which makes it a natural fit for shift workers, early birds and anyone whose life doesn't fit standard staffed hours.
Group fitness classes add structure and energy to the week, and members regularly single out the group training and the supportive crew around them. For those who want individual attention, personal training pairs you one-on-one with a certified trainer, with every programme specifically tailored towards your goals.
What truly sets Hauora Tangata apart is the circle of services wrapped around the gym floor. Physiotherapy focuses on promoting, restoring and maintaining physical function and mobility. Exercise rehabilitation and physiology help people rebuild physical function, mobility and overall wellbeing after injury, surgery or a health condition. Massage therapy works the soft tissues — muscles, tendons and ligaments — to enhance physical and mental wellbeing, while acupuncture and cupping use suction to promote increased blood flow and alleviate muscle tension.
The hub also honours traditional healing. Rongoā services, the traditional Māori healing practices, are offered in a wide array designed to promote healing and balance. Nutrition advice supports whānau goals designed to strengthen the hinengaro, wairua and tinana, and the Evolt body composition scan delivers a detailed, non-invasive analysis of an individual's body composition. There is even a return to mahi programme, giving whānau the right tools to move into meaningful and sustainable employment 'with a twist' — hauora is uplifted first.
Momentum is kept high with events and challenges. The MOVE IT 6-Week Challenge opens the doors to all fitness levels and invites people to bring a mate and commit to six weeks of consistent training, with unlimited group classes, 24/7 facility access, weekly prizes, fun mini challenges, MyZone belt accountability, tracking days, nutritional guidance and recovery tools.
The community spirit reaches well beyond the gym walls too. Members of the whānau have trained together toward the Mount Maunganui half marathon events in Tauranga, taking on everything from the 5K to the 10K to the full 21K after months of cold winter mornings, weekend runs and team sessions. Monthly leaderboards celebrate those racking up the most MyZone MEPs and gym visits, keeping the accountability friendly and fun.
Ask around and the reviews keep circling back to the same themes. 'Great whanau vibe and the energy is super electric,' says one member. Another, who has tried many gym franchises, finally found the one where they feel most comfortable and confident, praising caring, considerate trainers who push you to be the best you can be. A member of six years says the thought of moving never crossed their mind and recommends the gym for all fitness levels. 'More than just a gym' might be the fairest summary — beautiful people, beautiful kaimahi, beautiful whare.
Newcomers are invited to start by booking in a tour, and memberships can be signed up for online through the member portal. Whether you're after a 24/7 gym that feels like family, physiotherapy for a nagging injury, rongoā, a restorative massage, a body composition scan or a structured challenge to break a plateau, Hauora Tangata gathers it all under one roof on Higgins Road — a safe space helping whānau move towards mauri ora.