"It's about honouring the Queen and acknowledging our partnership through the Treaty."
The Kaitaia resident, whose first role in a waka was as a 7-year-old bailer, said his team had trained extensively for the event. "We've been running a lot and training."
Before the crew left for London, they also trained on the Waikato River in a replica waka, which was carved from the same 800-year-old tree as Te Hono Ki Aotearoa.
Participating in the London celebrations was a fantastic achievement for the crew, who were almost not included in the flotilla.
Crew member Joe Harawira told the Herald the New Zealand Government was forced to step in and help after safety concerns were raised about their waka by the Thames Pageant organisers.
"The organisers of the Thames Pageant had safety concerns about a non-motorised, single-hull support vessel sharing the London river with over 1000 other vessels in a flotilla.
"We were initially told we couldn't take part in the event but with Government intervention and support, we were eventually given the green light."