ANARU PAENGA-MORGAN. PICTURE SUPPLIED
Tairawhiti schools filled three of the top five places in the medal table for the National Secondary School Waka Ama Championships at Lake Tikitapu, Rotorua, last week.
Gisborne Boys’ High topped the medal table with four golds, one silver and one bronze.
Gisborne Girls’ High came fourth with two golds, two silvers and one bronze.
Lytton High were fifth with two golds and one silver.
And Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Te Waiu o Ngati Porou in Ruatoria also made the table, with one gold medal.
The championships were contested by 123 secondary schools and kura kaupapa.
Gisborne Boys High School
All three Boys’ High teams medalled.
The J16 W6 250-metre team, Ruaumoko, won gold in the championship final.
Their time, 51.87 seconds, was the fastest for the whole regatta. They were five seconds ahead of the next fastest J16 team and two seconds faster than the top J19 time.
Ruaumoko were: Anaru Paenga-Morgan, Manaaki Ao Maxwell, Kitini Taihuka, Matiu Anderson, Taimana Teneti and Mairangi Campbell
They were also national champions in the J16 W6 500m (with turns) in a time of 2 minutes 07 seconds. That was eight seconds ahead of the next fastest J16 team and three seconds faster than the top J19 team
Two of that crew won individual medals. Anaru Paenga-Morgan won the under-16 boys’ W1 250m in a time of 1:01.05 and Kitini Taihuka was third in a time of 1:03.59, just 0.12s behind the runner-up.
Boys’ High combined with Gisborne Girls’ High under the name Turanga Wahine Turanga Tane J16 to win silver in the J16 mixed W12 250m final. The Boys’ High members of the crew were Silas Brown, Lathaneal Niwa-Karaka, Kapua Thornicroft, Uetaha Wanoa, Zeke Collier and Hayze Nepia.
Another combined Boys’ High/Girls’ High crew, Tairawhiti J16, won the plate final of the J16 mixed W12 250m.
The Boys’ High crew members were Drake Wanoa, Matariki Kaa, Te Ariki Pomana, Kyan Karauria, David McClutchie and Cody Tarei
Gisborne Girls’ High School
Girls’ High paddlers came home with two golds, two silvers and a bronze.
Rangi-Riana Williams, a member of the 2018 New Zealand u19 development team at the world championships in Tahiti, won silver with a time of 1:12.98 in her J19 W1 250m sprint, coming second to her New Zealand teammate Mikayla Timoti, of John Paul College.
Williams’s J19 W6 team, Manukura, won two gold medals from two races — the W6 250m and W6 500m races. They gave strong, solid performances in both these events.
Atakura won two silver medals. These were in the J16 W6 500m race and in the W12 double-hull race with a J16 Gisborne Boys’ High team.
Hinekura won gold in the plate event of the W12 double-hull race with Boys’ High. Hinekura also won bronze in their bowl final of the W6 250m.
Hinekura, as the Girls’ High development team, showed plenty of potential and gave brave performances.
Coaches Kiwi Campbell and Sharni Wainohu took to their roles enthusiastically, drawing in two development teams to help expand interest and participation in the sport.
The Manukura (u19 A) team were: Gabby Wainohu, Ariata Kutia, Rangi-Riana Williams, Madison Savage, Alyssa Herbert and Mikaylah Tamati.
The Raukura (u19 B) team were: Te Aomihia Waikari-Maurirere, Hunter Varley, Kalani Broughton-Pakaru, Mere-Heni Matete and Mihingarangi Tamihana-Brown
Atakura, the u16 A team, were: Jade Vercoe, Johelonn Toroa-Taare, Kya Thornicroft, Terina Maraki, Lena Akurangi-Baty and Az Tahiwi
Hinekura, the u16 B team, were: Mourei Maniapoto-Love, Leah Herbert, Reese Taurua, Casey Dewes, Ripeka Akurangi, Siseliani Grant and Kharma Morrell.
LYTTON HIGH SCHOOL
Lytton had a combination of high-calibre Tairawhiti club paddlers from Horouta, Mareikura and YMP representing the kura.
“We took part in W1, W6 and W12 events to raise the level of participation in Aotearoa’s fastest growing sport,” said Bella Hawkins, Lytton assistant principal and physical education and health educator.
All five Lytton teams progressed to finals, she said.
“The progression of three u16 girls’ teams meant Hinetera, Hinenui and Hinemaia all competed against each other.”
Hinemaia won bronze in the u16 girls’ W6 500m and gold in the W6 250.
Hinetera were Lytton’s youngest u16 girls crew with new paddlers placing eighth in the W6 250 bowl final and seventh in the W6 500 plate final.
The u19 girls’ crew Hinetu made both championship finals and were placed fourth in the W6 250m and sixth in the W6 500m.
“Ritana boys also raised their performance against some tough competition and gained a silver in the u16 W6 500m bowl final,” Bella Hawkins said.
“To our coaches and support team, thank you for the energy and effort shared with our students to prepare for this fiercely competitive waka hoe experience.”
In individual competition, Lytton’s Kelsey Teneti won the plate final of the u16 girls’ W1 250m.