Young Wairoa paddlers off to waka ama nationals on Lake Karapiro

The girls’ team heading to Lake Karāpiro for the waka ama sprint nationals.

By Marino Harker-Smith

A hardy group of Wairoa children and their whānau are primed for the waka ama national sprints on Lake Karāpiro.

For many, it’s their first time competing at national level.

The 2025 National Sprints Championships started on Sunday and will run to January 18.

In the boys' squad, two crews of six will also join up as a 12-man crew.

The three Adventure Wairoa crews are Kahungunu Kōtiro Kaha taitamahine, a W6 250m team and two intermediate boys' crews of six, Kahungunu Tama Tū and Kahungunu Tama Toa, who will also combine to race in a crew of 12.

Crew manager Holly Grace said that while five of the children had paddled at nationals previously, it would be a new experience for the rest.

“I’m looking forward to seeing them go hard and the competition week vibe,” Grace said.

While it was great for the paddlers to train weekly on their home awa, Te Wairoa Hōpūpū Hōnengenenge Mātangi Rau, rain in recent weeks meant it wasn’t always consistent.

Some had been training since April last year, while other crew members had only jumped on board in the past few months.

Grace said it was a great hauora kaupapa for the kids to see and promote healthy lifestyles.

“Waka ama is such a cool sport and to do what our ancestors used to do is quite a cool thing.”

The races will be livestreamed through the Whakaata Māori streaming platform at maoriplus.co.nz.