Big Hawke's Bay contingent for world canoe polo competitions

Hawke's Bay canoe polo players about to take on the world, from left: Ben Colman, Meaghan Broad, Toby Mills and Hannah Hunt. Photo / Warren Buckland

The development of a dedicated canoe polo facility at the Mitre 10 Regional Sports Park in Hastings is achieving results with the naming of nine from Hawke's Bay in New Zealand teams and management for two major world events over the next two months.

The facilities were established early in 2020, giving the growing sport formal court-based water for the first time, after years of practising mainly on ponds and lakes.

"I think It makes training so much easier," says Hannah Hunt, one of those selected and also a Canoe Polo Hawke's Bay committee member.

About the time the new facilities were established some hopefuls were looking towards competing at the 2020 world championships, which were postponed until 2021, and then cancelled due to the Covid pandemic.

Now the eyes are on the World Games Canoe Polo in Birmingham, Alabama, USA, on July 14-17, and the Senior and Junior World Championships in Saint-Omer, France, on August 16-21.

Named from Hawke's Bay are seniors Sammy Hapeta, Casey Haley and Emma Sutherland, and juniors Toby Mills, Ben Colman, Hannah Hunt and Meaghan Broad.

Additionally, Canoe Polo Hawke's Bay chairwoman Kelly Hepburn will manage the under-21 women's team, and Grainne Kelly will manage the senior women's team. Mitch Graham has been named as a non-travelling senior men's reserve.

The senior women go to both world events, the men to just the World Games, and the under-21 team just to the championships.

Canoe polo has since 2005 been part of the quadrennial World Games, generally for sports not included in the Olympic Games, which Hunt says would be the ultimate goal.

"The World Games are our Olympics at the moment."

New Zealand teams have set a high standard in world events over the years, despite the distance from the regular competition to which European teams have access, and which will now feature on the programme over the next few weeks, with the Paddle Ferns teams competing in Ireland, Germany, Netherlands and Belgium en route to France.

The teams take their own canoes, which can cost up to $4000, and have also had to self-fund the trip, about $14,000 a head.

"It's not a cheap sport," she said.

Like several, Hunt took up canoe polo at primary school, continued at high school, and is now mixing a commitment to the sport with apprenticeships, tertiary studies and jobs.

The youngest, 16-year-old Havelock North High School student Meaghan Broad is the only Hawke's Bay member of the teams still at school.