First gold medals for Tairawhiti at 2023 nationals

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Tairāwhiti teams yesterday won their first gold medals of the Waka Ama New Zealand National Sprint Championships at Lake Karapiro.

Pipiwhakao, of YMP Waka Ama, won the Taitamahine (midget girls) W6 250-metre championship final in 1 minute 32.75 seconds.

Mareikura Mermaids, of Mareikura Waka Ama Club, won the cup final of the same grade in a time of 1:42.77.

Horouta Raiders, of Horouta Waka Hoe, were pipped for the win by four-hundredths of a second in the Taitama (midget boys) W6 250m championship final. They were runners-up in 1:29.29, and the Pipi crew of Te Rau Oranga o Ngati Kahungunu won in 1:29.25.

In the J16 men's division, Tama ki te Rangi (Horouta) won gold in the W6 500m final in 1:53.56 just over a second ahead of Pineula Taurea Red (Akarana), 1:54.83. Horouta Hianga were sixth in 2:08.06.

Hinepukohurangi (Horouta) won the female intermediate W6 500m in 2:32.93.

Also in the final were Titirangi Drifters (Horouta), fourth in 2:43.15; Whakato (YMP), sixth in 2:45.88; and Kotiro Parekareka (Horouta), 11th in 3:01.92.

YMP crew Rukupo were second in the male intermediate W6 500m in 2:34.72. Fourth in the final were 6 Mullets (Horouta) in 2:38.00 and fifth were Tamaraukura (Mareikura) in 2:43.71.

Puhi Kaiariki (Horouta) finished just out of the medals, fourth, in 2:16.89. The third-placed crew's time was 2:16.15.

Also in the final were Mareikura Matariki (Mareikura), 10th in 2:30.89.

Other teams to make finals were a combined Horouta/Mareikura crew, Waimata Maidens/Mermaids, representing Te Uranga o te Ra, fifth in the Taitamahine W12 250m championship final; and Pipi-Pahou (YMP), fifth in the Taitama W12 250m championship final.