Massey University runs waka ama workshops to inspire an interest in science

Queen Elizabeth College students paddling waka on Hokowhitu Lagoon in Palmerston North.

More than 240 secondary school students have participated in Massey University-led waka ama [outrigger canoe] workshops to inspire an interest in science among young people.

Members of the School of Sport, Exercise and Nutrition have worked alongside the students during waka ama water workshops.

The workshops involve rangatahi paddling waka using special hoe [paddles] that record the power output and force of their strokes. Once off the water, academics and sport and exercise students support them to analyse the collected data and explain the science behind their results.

School of Sport, Exercise and Nutrition head Associate Professor Andy Foskett says the project connects the passion tamariki have for physical activity with the technology and expertise of Massey academics, creating a programme that stimulates curiosity for science.

Massey has worked with New Zealand-based company One Giant Leap to create one-of-a-kind waka hoe that record data at a rate of 100 times per second.

“The hoe can be connected to a phone or smartwatch to track performance in real-time while out on the water or downloaded on to a computer for more detailed analysis later. We have 12 of these instrumented waka hoe and they are the only ones in existence in the world.”

The project was funded by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment as part of its strategic plan A Nation of Curious Minds - He Whenua Hihiri i te Maha. The fund invests in and supports projects that help young New Zealanders learn about and engage with science and technology, Foskett says.

Senior lecturer Dr Paul Macdermid is a paddle science expert and has used similar technology to train Olympic whitewater slalom paddlers.

“As a child, I only got interested in my own education and science because of sport. It just so happened to be a paddle sport. If you want to develop as an athlete, then understanding the different components contributing to performance is important. Increasing the experiences and understanding ultimately contributes to developing non-sportspeople as well,” he says.

“This project sets out to show students that waka ama and science and technology can be interlinked within education and New Zealand culture. They get out on the water, hopefully appreciating the environment while performing, then we bring it all back into the classroom to talk about principles of physics, physiology, data analysis, nutrition and waka ama performance.”

A majority of the participating schools had high numbers of Māori students, and associate dean for Māori Dr Bevan Erueti ensured mātauranga Māori was available throughout the workshops and translated for kura kaupapa.

“These kinds of activities provide an opportunity for us to share knowledge on behalf of our university with tamariki and strengthen our engagement with iwi,” he says.

As part of the workshops, Professor Kathryn Beck ran a hands-on nutrition session.

“It’s well-known that good nutrition fuels sporting performance. We work with the students to help them create their own smoothies, designed to optimise their on-water performance,” she says.

The team have taken the workshop to Palmerston North, Gisborne, Taranaki and Auckland.