Akayshia Williams. of Gisborne's Horouta club, signals how many W1 500 metres Premier Women's national crowns she has won after her fourth consecutive triumph at the waka ama sprint nationals at Lake Karapiro on Wednesday. Photo / Waka Ama NZ
Akayshia Williams. of Gisborne's Horouta club, signals how many W1 500 metres Premier Women's national crowns she has won after her fourth consecutive triumph at the waka ama sprint nationals at Lake Karapiro on Wednesday. Photo / Waka Ama NZ
Akayshia Williams has won her eighth premier women’s 500-metre title at the Waka Ama NZ sprint nationals at Lake Karapiro.
For the third year in a row she finished over five seconds clear of the second-placed competitor.
Her previous wins in this event were in 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2023,2024 and 2025.
Wednesday was a big day on the podium for Tairāwhiti paddlers – particularly for those from Horouta – in the W1 500m races.
A jubilant Hine Brooking after retaining the J19 women's crown in a golden day of W1 racing for the Horouta Waka Hoe club at the waka ama sprint nationals. Photo / Waka Ama NZ
Taylynn Morete (Horouta) won the under-23 women’s event; Hine Brooking and Marnie Toloa (both Horouta) were first and second respectively in the J19 women’s final; Maia Campbell (Horouta) retained the J19 men’s title; Riria Ata and Charlee Mackey (both Horouta) were first and second respectively in the J16 women’s final; Vesna Radonich (Horouta) was second in the senior master women’s final; and Nicholas Tahiwi (YMP Waka Ama) was second in the intermediate men’s final.
Premier women’s champion Williams, paddling in Horouta Waka Hoe colours, covered the distance in 2 minutes 55.97 seconds, 5.54s faster than runner-up Te Rina Leubert, of Haeta Ocean Sports.
Three other Horouta paddlers made the final. Gaibreill Wainohu was ninth, in 3:06.99, Keri Ngatoro was 11th, in 3:07.79, and Briar McLeely was 12th, in 3:10.65.
Horouta's Maia Campbell raises his paddle in triumph after a successful defence of the J19 men's W1 title at the waka ama sprint nationals. Photo / Waka Ama NZ
Morete won a desperately close finish in the u23 women’s final, heading off Lucy Jordan (Pineula) by eight-hundredths of a second to win in a time of 2:45.28.
Ūawa Surf Life Saving Club paddler Hinewaipounamu Rangihuna-Winikerei was fourth, in 2:50.15, Cheidan Moetara (Horouta) was sixth in 2:54.77, Mereana Maxwell (Mareikura Waka Ama Club) was ninth in 3:16.52, Aislinn Tahiwi (Horouta) was 10th in 3:17.71, Charlotte Kingsford (Mareikura) was 11th in 3:21.20, and Lili Swann (Mareikura) was 12th in 3:41.25.
In the U23 men’s final, Te Maumahara Hape (YMP) finished seventh in 2:43.01, and Ulalei Enari (Horouta) was ninth in 2:44.96.
The J19 women’s final had four Horouta competitors. Brooking won in 2:47.68, and Toloa was second in 2:50.58. Kaiarahi Brooking-Haapu was eighth in 3:00.39, and Melrose Morete was 11th in 3:06.23.
Campbell’s J19 men’s victory was achieved with a time of 2:20.75, a margin of 2.12s over runner-up Marlin Toloa (Manukau Outrigger Canoe Club).
Riria Ata contemplates her win in the J16 women's W1 final. It was a Horouta 1-2 with Charlee Mackey second. Photo / Waka Ama NZ
Horouta paddlers Jack Gifford and Kane Soto were fifth and sixth respectively, Gifford in 2:29.76 and Soto in 2:30.39.
Ata won the J16 women’s final in 3:01.72 and Mackey was second in 3:02.81. Also in the final were Hevani Toupili (Mareikura), who was fifth in 3:03.42, Tiwai Apiata (Horouta), who was seventh in 3:06.52, and Christibel Mackenzie (Horouta), who was 12th in 3:17.36.
In the J16 men’s final, Horouta paddler Brae Birch-Tuapawa was ninth in 2:50.97, and YMP’s Makauri Hape was 11th in 2:54.55.
Radonich was runner-up in the senior master women’s final, in 2:55.55, and was 3.27s behind the winner.
Also in the final were Horouta clubmates Simmy Taitapanui (ninth, 3:10.83) and Penny Scragg (10th, 3:11.24).
Horouta paddler Dale Koia made the senior master men’s final and finished seventh in 2:38.14.
The intermediate women’s final had YMP’s Hinewhakaarorangi Pewhairangi in fourth place in 3:17.60, and Horouta paddlers Manawa Clarke-Atkins (sixth, 3:19.14) and Manaakitia Clarke-Atkins (ninth, 3:36.56).
In the master women’s final, YMP Waka Ama club captain Nancy-Rae Tarawa finished sixth in 3:24.13, and Horouta paddler Rebecca Hoani was seventh in 3:27.52.
Jake O’Connor (Horouta) finished 10th in the master men’s final in 3:00.67.
Horouta paddlers Sonia Stewart (sixth, 3:06.56) and Kerry Johnston (eighth, 3:07.55) made the golden master women’s final.
Taylynn Morete continued Horouta's golden charge in W1 racing at the waka ama sprint nationals with victory in the Under-23 women's final. Photo / Waka Ama NZ
Waka Ama NZ hall of fame member Raipoia Brightwell (Mareikura) was fourth in the master 70 women’s division in 3:38.03, and Marianne Gillingham (Horouta) was fifth in 3:39.37.
Tairāwhiti paddler Vicki Flavell, competing for Aratika Water Sports Club, finished ninth in 3:50.71.
In the master 75 men’s division, Dave Langford (Horouta) finished fourth in the final in 3:28.61, Murray Brightwell (Horouta) was seventh in 3:48.33, and Val Irwin (Horouta) was eighth in 3:49.15.
Irwin also contested the adaptive men’s W1 200m final, finishing sixth in 1:16.67, and the W1 500m final, finishing fifth in 3:43.29.
