The late Kris Kjeldsen will be remembered for his craftsmanship and dedication to establishing, and growing, waka ama in Northland and New Zealand.
Kjeldsen was one of the founders of the sport in the country, and from his base on the Tutukaka Coast he crafted thousands of waka, now used on lakes and coasts around New Zealand and the world.
Before moving to New Zealand, he paddled for Kai Nulu Canoe Club in southern California and was involved in the sport in Hawaii, before settling in the small Maori community of Pawarenga in the Far North, where he lived for 15 years.
While at Pawarenga Kjeldsen wondered why there was no traditional Maori canoe racing. So he met with master waka builder Matahi Whakataka during the 1980s, and told him of his plans to start waka ama paddling and building waka in the north. Whakataka agreed with the plan, and said he wanted to do the same thing in the Gisborne/East Cape area.
With the high unemployment in both areas, especially among Maori, the pair took advantage of training schemes funded by the Government to start these projects. The people of Pawarenga got behind the project wholeheartedly. By early 1987 they had a work-training scheme; building canoes and paddles and learning the art of paddling. Ocean knowledge, surf skills and swimming were very much a part of the programme.
