LES HOKIANGA AND HIKOI 4 LIFE TEAM When Les Hokianga, pictured with John Taiti, left, and Paul Taiti, centre, started the Hikoi 4 Life programme, he took on a big task. The 17 participants were all obese, some weighing up to 200kg. The programme developed as part of his third-year studies at EIT was based on healthy lifestyle changes, good nutrition and fun exercise, developed specifically for Maori and Pacific people. Les and his group achieved remarkable goals: like cycling almost 300km from Hastings to Wellington to present the programme to Associate Health Minister Tariana Turia, to show how the programme was changing lives for the better. Now Les has funding to continue the programme, with the original participants who are acting as mentors. He’s also continuing his own journey to better health, competing in IronMaori in 2011.
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