A new waka ama club for Waitangi

Waitangi paddler Missy Apiata-Te Rito making a dash for finish line at last year's Bay of Islands Waka Festival. Photo / Peter de Graaf

A newly formed watersports club based in Waitangi wants to hear from whānau with tamariki who are keen to compete in the 2020-21 waka ama sprint season.

The new club, Tai Kotuku Waka Ama, will be coached by a multiple world champion titleholder with a background in athletic training and a record of coaching teams and individuals to international success.

The intake, at Waitangi this weekend, is for children born between 2008 and 2013, who will need to commit to three or more trainings per week during the school term, and the holidays, in the lead-up to the waka ama national championships on Lake Karapiro in January.

The new club will also offer younger siblings, aged five and over, a chance to participate less competitively with sessions once a week.

Go to www.surveymonkey.com/r/HHTGRW2 to register interest.