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Kai te matatihi o te maunga whakataetae pahikara a Tarawhai Rikihana-Gray e whakaangi ana.
He kotahi ngahuru mā whā noa te rahi o tēnei toa. He uri heke iho i ngā kāwai ngangahū nō Ngāti Hinemihi tētehi o ngā hapū o Ngāti Tarawhai. E kero ana ngā whakaaro ki te pae tawhiti ki te whakataetae taumāhekeheke o te ao mō te whakataetae pahikara BMX.
I whānau a Tarawhai i Rotorua engari ka rere atu te whānau ki Ahitereiria noho ai. Ki kōrā ia kura ai, ā, noho tonu atu ai. Nōna e waru noa ngā tau te rahi a Tarawhai e whakataetae BMX ana ka aro pū ia ki te piki i ngā taumata teitei o tēnei hākinakina whakatere manawa. E toru rā o te wiki kotahi a Tarawhai e whakangungu tahi ana me tona Amokura engari ka piki ake tēnei rautaki ia rangi o te wiki me he whakataetae nui kai te pae tata.
“Nōku e rima noa te rahi ka timatangia taku whakataetae pahikara BMX. Kai te toto te wera o te whakataetae e tere ana. E whitu noa te rahi kua puta noa ahau i te rōpū whakataetae hai toa rangatira, e kore rawa tētehi e pā tata mai ki taku kōhamo.
Ko te whakatere pahikara e hoa mā, te uho o taku whatumanawa. He ahakoa e whakangungu ana, he ahakoa e whakataetae ana, ko te wairua o tēnei ao he hauora pai me ngā tini hoa whakataetae, he rangatira katoa,” hai tā Tarawhai.
He kanohi mōhio ia i te ao whakataetae pahikara, kua kakea e ia ngā taumata o ngā maunga whakataetae, ā, kai reira tonu ia e tu ana. He rau noa atu ngā whakataetae kua oti i a ia. E rua whakataetae o te ao whānui, ka riro i a ia te turanga tuatoru i te whakataetae i tu ki te whenua o Wīwī i Nantes i te tau ko pahemo, nō te tau nei nōna e whakataetae ana ka riro i a ia te turanga tuatahi.
E whakapena pūtea ana mō tana whakataetae nui UCI BMX o te ao ka tū ki Amerika ā te ihu o Haratua.
“I te ao whakataetae o BMX, e eke ai te tangata ki te kotahi ngāhuru mā ono te rahi, kātahi ka timatangia te whakapau kaha ki te whai tūnga ki te ātamira o te whakataetae. Ko te pae tata kia eke ahau ki te whiringa toa i ia wāhanga whakataetae.
Ko te pae tawhiti kua tiakina ahau e tētehi pēke pūtea e tētehi kamupene rongonui, rānei kia hāpaingia rānei ahau e tētehi karahipi mana nui e kaha tonu ai ahau ki tēnei momo hākinakina. Kai te whakataetae o te ao aku kanohi e titiro pae tawhiti ana, ki te tau e rua mano, e rua tekau mā waru te tau. Ko te hiahia ki a tae ahau ki te UCI te taumata o te ao i ia tau me te uru ki ngā whiringa toa.” Hai tā Tarawhai.
Kai te huarahi ahau e haere tū ana e mana ai tēnei moemoeā. Engari mō te wā iti nei, he whakataetae anō te mahi, taihoa rā e peka atu ai a Tarawhai ki te whakataetae WA, e tika ana ki a whakataetae tonu ia, koia te amokura nui o tēnei whakataetae kua mau i a ia tēnei tūnga mō ngā tau e whā. Ki a ia hoki te taitara o te whakataetae ko AusCycling me te taitara hoki o te whakataetae Nahinara Raupapa Kapu.
“Ko ōku mātua whakaangi te pou o taku kaha, ko te moni, ko te pūtea awhina i āku haerenga ko te utu i aku whakangungu katoa me te utu i ōku pahikara ka maringi iho i ō rāua pūkoro. Ka taka iho ki toku kete pena pūtea, e rima rau tāra mai i te hunga tautoko i taku mahi whakataetae nei, he awhina katoa ki a tae ahau ki te whakataetae ā ao hai te tau nei. He kaha hoki nō tōku māmā ki te tono ki ngā whenua Māori me ngā momo awhina katoa.
“Nā reira anō taku mihi ki a Ngāti Tarawhai. Karekau i Aotearoa nei he whare awhina ā pūtea nei i ngā toa whakataetae pahikara, wheoi anō ka ora i te iwi.”
He kaha nō Tarawhai ki a te whakaakiaki me te whakahau i te wairua toa o te rangatahi o te motu, kia hāpaingia te taumata e mana ai ngā warawara o te whatumanawa.
“Kawea ngā hiahia o te whatumanawa ki tōna ikeiketanga, kia pakeke hoki te kawe.
“Ki te tahuri mai te kotahi ki tēnei whāinga oku ka koa ngā tauwharenga o te whatumanawa. "
Riding high on recent wins on the BMX track, 14-year-old Tarawhai Rikihana-Gray (Ngāti Tarawhai, Ngāti Hinemihi) has his sights set on Olympic domination.
The teen was born in Rotorua but moved to Australia before he started school and has remained there since.
He has been riding competitively since he was 8-years-old and trains at least three times a week with a coach, and every day for a few weeks prior to a big race.
“I started racing BMX at the age of five and have always been very competitive. By 7-years-old, I was the fastest in my age group each year at my BMX club. I just loved everything about riding – from training to racing, and the friendships I’ve formed along the way,” Tarawhai said.
He has stood on the winners’ podium numerous times during his BMX career taking out top spots in several racing events.
Amongst his myriad of BMX achievements, Tarawhai has raced in two world events, placing world number three last year in Nantes France 2022 and world number one in Glasgow, Scotland 2023. He is currently trying to raise funds to attend next year’s UCI BMX World Championships in the USA in early May.
“In BMX, the real competitive racing doesn’t start until I turn 16. In the meantime, my short-term goal is to make finals in every event I attend. My long-term goals are to hopefully find a good sponsor or scholarship to help me get to elite-level riding or be able to train and race internationally.
“I’m aiming my sights on representing Aotearoa at the Olympics in 2028 but for now, I’m trying to get to UCI Worlds each year and making finals.”
Indeed, the wheels are in motion to achieve this dream.
He has a number of racing events in his sights this year, including the WA state championships which he has held the number one spot in his age group for the past four years. He also has the AusCycling National Championships coming up, along with the National Series Cup, where he is also currently sitting in first place in his age group.
“My whāngai parents are my constant supporters and currently fund my travels and training expenses, including my bikes. Nearly all my funding comes from my parents’ hard-earned money, and my team and sponsors gave $500 towards my costs for Worlds this year.
“My mother also applies for iwi grants for my world events, which I’ve generously received from Ngāti Tarawhai Trust. New Zealand doesn’t have any individual sporting grants available to BMX riders, so we’re grateful for iwi support.”
Tarawhai encourages other rangatahi to raise the bar when pursuing their dreams.
“Do what you enjoy and do it to the best of your ability. I hope that I inspire others to try BMX racing, especially Māori, and love it as much as I do.”
An additional $4.685m has been committed to the scheme by the Government and two councils.