Ngā Hoe Horo Outrigger Canoe Club's Team Tiare W12 competing at the 33rd annual Waka Ama Sprint Nationals in January. Secondary school students from around Tai Tokerau are being encouraged to get involved in the inaugural Northland Region Secondary Schools Waka Ama Sprint Championships at Lake Ngātu.
Ngā Hoe Horo Outrigger Canoe Club's Team Tiare W12 competing at the 33rd annual Waka Ama Sprint Nationals in January. Secondary school students from around Tai Tokerau are being encouraged to get involved in the inaugural Northland Region Secondary Schools Waka Ama Sprint Championships at Lake Ngātu.
A rōpu (group) of Te Hiku (Far North) rangatahi (young people) are set to run an inaugural Tai Tokerau school waka ama competition at Awanui this month.
Taiohi Mauri is a group of youths (aged 16-24) responsible for organising this year’s Northland Region Secondary Schools Waka Ama Sprint Championships at Lake Ngātu on March 23.
The group will run the competition as part of the Taiohi Mauri enterprise programme facilitated by Kaitaia-based social services agency Mauri.
Event lead and media spokesperson, Elite Reti, said the waka ama competition was Taiohi Mauri’s first major project and he encouraged students to get involved.
“This is the first kaupapa/event to be hosted by our rangatahi, so it’s a nice icebreaker for us,” Reti said.
“Kura (schools) and waka ama clubs around the region can register now, so we want as many people as possible to come along.
“As a young person, there is a lot of stigma out there about how we’re not being challenged enough or that there isn’t anything to incentivise us to do things.
“I think events like this show our generation can do anything we put our minds to.”
Reti, 15, is a Ngā Hoe Horo Outrigger Canoe Club member and waka ama champion, winning gold in the J16 Men – W1 500 at the 33rd Annual Waka Ama Sprint Nationals at Lake Karāpiro in January.
Elite Reti celebrates his gold in the J16 Men W1 500.
The teen said he’d been around waka ama since he was born thanks to his parents’ passion for the sport.
Reti explained the upcoming event would fall under the umbrella of the Tai Tokerau Polynesian Canoe Association (TTPCA) and be hosted by Ngā Hoe Horo.
The event is open to any student who meets the age eligibility criteria and attends a Northland secondary school, with students who wish to compete in a team required to be fulltime students at the same Northland secondary school.
Students are allowed to paddle for only one crew in any race/event — e.g. J16 or J19, not both.
Race categories will include W1 250m Girls and Boys J16 and J19 (Competitive Division), W6 250m Girls and Boys J16 and J19 (Competitive & Novice Divisions), W6 500m Girls and Boys J16 and J19 (Competitive & Novice Divisions), with Novice teams available for new or first-time paddlers.
Races will be 250m and 500m with a turn, with turns to be judged as per the School Sport NZ event. Novice turns will not be judged.
Reti predicted the event would attract about 100 competitors, but said the day was more focused on bringing people together than on the competition.
“We want this to be a fun day for our secondary schools and to show the wairua (spirit) of sportsmanship,” Reti said.
“We also want to introduce the younger generation to the sport to encourage them to get involved.
“For some, this will be a good opportunity to test waka ama out and see what they think.
“We won’t be giving out medals or prizes for the winners, we’ll instead be giving out spot prizes for anyone who enters a race which gives everyone a chance to win.”
According to Sport New Zealand, the first official waka ama club in Aotearoa New Zealand was the Mareikura Canoe Club, founded on the east coast by Matahi Whakataka-Brightwell in 1985 after being inspired by va’a racing in Tahiti.
There are now more than 85 clubs spread from Kaitaia to Invercargill.
From 2013 to 2017, the sport experienced a 34 per cent increase in the number of clubs and a 54 per cent increase in membership overall, with the youth grades (J16 and J19) increasing 124 per cent.
Women accounted for 53.5 per cent of membership, particularly in the youth grades (J16/J19).
All paddlers will be required to wear a lifejacket. Schools must ensure teams bring a change of clothes and something warm to put on because the weather can be unpredictable.
Schools are to provide one official whose job will be allocated by the event convener.
All schools are expected to have completed their relevant EOTC or health & safety requirements necessary for participation at these events.
Schools must supply their teams with a first aid kit that includes strapping tape and cold packs.
The event health and safety register must be completed for any injuries suffered by players that occur as a result of participating in this event and/or accidents that occur at the playing venue.
Schools are also responsible for ensuring their paddlers bring their own snacks, lunch and drinking water.
