Paddlers qualified through finishing in the top six at the national sprint champs held on Lake Karapiro in January.
“We have the largest representation, with 17 teams,” Walker said. “No other club comes near that, you would be lucky if you have three to four from one club.”
The worlds, being held in Hilo on the eastern coast of Hawaii’s Big Island, feature elite, open, junior and masters races in V1, V6 and V12 categories.
“The preparation has been ongoing - it’s never stopped,” Walker said. “Even coming off the end of London in 2022 you have national events to do as well, so there’s no let-up with teams training even through the winter.”
The Tairāwhiti paddlers have had to battle the elements - flooding, debris in river and “junk” still under the city bridges.
Silt in the riverbeds has also been an issue.
“It’s created a different dynamic on the river as it’s not a constant depth like we used to know,” Walker said. “Now with the difference in depth, the markers aren’t exactly accurate as they are at varying heights. We are hoping that the reading is what they are.”
Wastewater discharges into the river in heavy rain events and rāhui have also interrupted training.
But the paddlers have overcome the challenges as well as they could and head into competition with confidence and in a positive frame of mind.
Walker said the women had always been the club’s strength competition-wise and he expected that to continue.
However, the return of powerhouse paddling nation Tahiti for this regatta would raise the bar significantly.
“If you compare London (the 2022 worlds) - where there were no Tahitians competing - New Zealand dominated and we dominated as a club compared to Tahiti in 2018, where there was only one New Zealand men’s crew who got gold, which was an over-70s event and they (Tahiti) had no one paddling in it.”
Walker said the competitiveness between Tahiti and Aotearoa had been ongoing, with Aotearoa the top nation in 2016, Tahiti in 2018 and Aotearoa in 2022.
“The Tahitians will be keen to get that crown back. They are the best in the world, even though they weren’t in London.”
Walton said other countries might be catching up to the level of the top two. He had heard other French clubs could provide strong competition.
Leading the Horouta and Aotearoa charge will be Akayshia Williams, who will be defending the open women’s V1 500m world crown she won in London and will also be part of their world title-defending open women’s crew.
“They won the gold in London, and I would say the team are looking strong, but we don’t know the level of the competition so it’s best to be modest but tainted with a bit of confidence,” Walker said.
Horouta and Aotearoa waka ama great Kiwi Campbell will be back on the water as an athlete, having taken time off as an elite coach. She will be paddling in open and master women’s crews.
Mareikura Waka Ama Club will have junior 16 girls crew competing, along with a W1 paddler - Jack Gifford.
Club chair Billy Maxwell said there had been a lof of cold, early morning trainings in the build-up.
“After nationals the hard work began. The weather has been getting colder and colder, which meant it was harder for the girls to get out and go to training, but they did it twice a day,” he said.
Four of the girls have been paddling together since they were in the midget age group.
“The ultimate goal has been working to get them over to the worlds to give them a chance,” Maxwell said. “There’s been a lot of hard work.”
The district will be represented with pride on and off the water and the paddlers are grateful for the generous support they have received through sponsorship, donations and other fundraising ventures to help them get to Hawaii.
The official opening cermony is on Friday morning (NZ time) and racing starts on Saturday.
Matai O’Connor, Ngāti Porou, has been a journalist for five years and Kaupapa Māori reporter at the Gisborne Herald for two years.
