Before and after: ​Left William on 5th January 2015 to the right William 30th July 2015 

At first glance, it’s hard to believe William Davis’ Tau Ora statistics.
 
At a time when many Te Wānanga o Aotearoa kaimahi are battling the cold and falling motivation levels to up their Tau Ora points, William clocks an average of between 40,000 and 50,000 steps most days of the week.
 
“I was doing so much so the first one (pedometer) has run out, it kind of died on me someone else gave me another pedometer and I also have one on my phone,” said William, kaiako for the Level 4 Māori Performing Arts Certificate/ Māori Theatre programme in Mangere.
 
Throw in to his fitness mix Monday to Friday gym workouts – that start at 5.30am and last nearly three hours.
 
Added to this are the 60 to 90-minute training sessions in the afternoons with fellow kaimahi Aaron Henare and Riki Ramanui, theatre/kapa haka/mau rākau/ti rākau/ exercises and warm-ups with his tauira three days a week.
 
On top of all of this is at least 13km of walking every day.
 
You can soon see why William’s daily Tau Ora points haul regularly tips the 80,000-mark.
 
The acclaimed actor has amassed more than 8,000,000 Tau Ora points so far this year – more than 1,000,000 more from his nearest rival.
 
And for good measure, his Tau Ora Will’s Wild Walkers group are also leading the team competition.
 
He admits his approach to our organisation’s Wellbeing programme that was designed to move kaimahi towards wellness is possibly “extreme”.
 
But the results he’s had since starting this year’s programme can’t be denied - with his weight down more than 15kg.
 
“I also measured 119cm around the waist but am now 96 cm. My chest has gone down from 120cm to 108cm and my hips are down from 120cm to 105cm.”
 
“I think I’m driven, I’m a bit of a madman.”
 
Te Wānanga o Aotearoa Wellness Advisor Tuihana Ohia said Tau Ora, now in its seventh year, is continuing to garner significant interest after winning the Supreme Award at The New Zealand Workplace Health and Safety Awards earlier this year.
 
She said both the Accident Compensation Corporation and telecommunications provider 2 Degrees had both shown major interest and had met for talks about incorporating elements of Tau Ora in their own kaimahi wellness programmes and exploring the possibility of partnering on a number of initiatives.
 
“In 16 years of the awards it was the first time that a wellness programme had won the supreme award,” said Tuihana.
 
While Tau Ora is designed to get kaimahi involved in healthier habits during the cold winter months, Tuihana said it wasn’t uncommon to see a drop off in activity around that time.
 
 “Things usually start with a bit of a roar and then drop off when it gets colder but then the warmer months come along and people are naturally more active.”
 
The Tau Ora competition continues until October 17.
 
Tau Ora was launched in 2009 and has been hugely successful with 70 percent of wānanga kaimahi taking part in the initiative. 
It’s based on the idea of five team members supporting each other to overcome challenges and achieve their personal wellbeing goals.
 
Tau Ora is holding its annual awards at the Wintec Atrium in Hamilton on November 27.