A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.
An elite waka ama training camp being held in Gisborne this weekend is geared towards the International Va’a (waka) Federation’s introduction of an elite category in the sport. Out-of-town top guns will also visit Gisborne for the three-day training camp.
Two of New Zealand’s four elite waka ama teams are
based in Gisborne because top coaches Matahi Brightwell and Kiwi Campbell live here.
“Each coach is responsible for setting up a selection process which is approved by the national body,” elite women’s squad manager Rachael Williams said. “The calibre of paddlers in this region is really high.”
Four elite teams from each participating country will be able to compete at the Va’a World Sprint Championships on Australia’s Sunshine Coast in May next year. These are made up of male and female development teams, and open male and female teams. The selected paddlers will be announced in February.
The world championships also have a club component, and crews from this region will be trying to qualify for the Sunshine Coast event when they take part in the waka ama sprint nationals at Lake Karapiro in January. Teams must finish in the top six at the nationals to be eligible to enter the club division of the world sprint championships. Squads from this district are already well into training programmes and team selection processes.
