Gisborne's double world outrigger canoe champion Hine Brooking is looking forward to the Waka Ama Sprint Nationals in January. She describes it as 'one of my favourite weeks of the year'.
Gisborne's double world outrigger canoe champion Hine Brooking is looking forward to the Waka Ama Sprint Nationals in January. She describes it as 'one of my favourite weeks of the year'.
Hine Brooking pauses for a moment to consider the question.
The 16-year-old waka ama phenomenon is reflecting on her incredible 2024 when asked how much the support of the waka ama community has played a part in her success.
She takes a moment before replying: “They’ve been a huge supportto me”.
“I have grown up in this community and the support for one another is really special,” the Gisborne Girls’ High School student says. “I wouldn’t have had any of the success I’ve had without that upbringing in this environment.
“So of course, I want to pay that back and support the Waka Ama Sprint Nationals [next month] - it’s one of my favourite weeks of the year.”
Brooking says that when she takes to the water, she will be thinking of Kiwi Campbell - the world and national championship-winning coach and paddler, who died in November at 43.
“I would like to acknowledge Kiwi for the opportunities she presented to me to help build on my waka ama goals,” Brooking says. “She paved the way for many of our junior squad here in Te Tairāwhiti. Her presence will be missed in our club.”
Brooking says her own success at the nationals gave her the confidence she could compete internationally. She travelled to the IVF Va’a World Elite and Club Sprint Championship in Hawaii in August and made a name for herself.
Brooking is the double world junior champion in individual events. She is the world junior 16 women’s sprint champion and world junior women’s long-distance champion.
Those achievements saw her nominated as a finalist in the Junior Māori Sportswoman of the Year category at the Māori Sports Awards for a second year in a row.
Paddlers throughout the country are counting down to the Waka Ama Sprint Nationals on Lake Karapiro in January.
For Brooking (Ngāti Porou, Rongowhakaata, Ngāti Tūwharetoa), being part of waka ama in New Zealand is bigger than just a sport; it is being part of a whānau.
“It is hard to explain it unless you have been in that environment. We all have a lot of support for each other and that makes you want to compete at your best and do your region proud.
“I can’t wait to get back to Lake Karāpiro to catch up with some friends from all over the country.”
Coach Sieda Tureia, who mentors the Waka Ama NZ elite women’s team, says Brooking is a huge talent.
“Hine is one of those exceptional rangatahi who is so determined to achieve her goals,” she says. “She is unafraid to dream big and has the plans and work ethic to match.
“Hine works exceptionally hard - training multiple times a day, six days a week. Part of her success is her ability to critique her performance, take on feedback, and pinpoint areas for development.”
Tureia says Brooking has a strong sense of self and connection with her community.
“Knowing her whakapapa, her roots as a rangatahi Māori and where she comes from helps to keep her centred and grounded in her pursuit for excellence on the world stage.”
Brooking adds: “It feels cool [to inspire others] because I’m just a young girl from a little town in New Zealand, and being able to represent my whānau and Te Tairāwhiti means a lot to me.
“Being from the East Coast is a huge part of who I am. With this success my hope is to inspire my whānau and other rangatahi from our region because if I can achieve it on the world stage, then they can, too.
“Representing Horouta Waka Hoe nationally and internationally has helped to get me to where I am.”
- Story supplied by ACC in support of the Waka Ama Sprint Nationals
