The 2023 New Zealand long-distance waka ama championships at Whitianga. This year's competition will be staged in Turanganui-a-Kiwa Poverty Bay. Photo / Waka Ama NZ
The 2023 New Zealand long-distance waka ama championships at Whitianga. This year's competition will be staged in Turanganui-a-Kiwa Poverty Bay. Photo / Waka Ama NZ
Gisborne will host the New Zealand long-distance waka ama championships, attracting about 1000 paddlers and 2000 supporters.
The three-day event starts on Friday, featuring races over 8km, 16km, and 24km.
Accommodation providers expect significant economic benefits, with high demand reported.
Gisborne will be inundated by many of the country’s top waka ama paddlers and their supporters this week in what looks set to provide a significant boost for the district economy.
Close to 1000 paddlers and about 2000 supporters are expected for the New Zealand long-distance waka ama championships.
The event will be staged on two courses offshore from Midway Beach (Ōneroa), depending on sea conditions, with a standby course available off Kaiti Beach. It was last held in Gisborne in 2011.
Due to the weather forecast, the opening two races planned for Thursday will now be held on Sunday. Friday and Saturday races will continue as planned.
Accommodation providers look set to benefit from the influx of people for the championships, which have attracted participants and spectators from all over Aotearoa.
Accommodation providers spoken to by The Gisborne Herald have reported high demand.
Whispering Sands Motel duty manager Mark Thompson said: “We’re pretty much fully booked with waka ama paddlers for the duration of the championships.’'
“We had a lot of inquiries yesterday [Monday] from other people wanting accommodation.”
Waikanae Beach Top Holiday Park staff reported being almost fully booked for roofed accommodation.
The three-day event is scheduled to start from Midway Beach on Friday after a powhiri at the beach on Thursday at 1pm, next to the Midway Community Hub building.
The 2023 New Zealand long-distance waka ama championships at Whitianga. There will be close to 1000 paddlers in action at this years event at Midway Beach from Friday. Photo / Waka Ama NZ
The championships will include paddlers of all ages, from Junior 16 to Master 70, with ages ranging from 11-year-olds to over 70s.
Gisborne’s Horouta Waka Hoe has the largest team, with about 100 paddlers. Other strong teams will include Manukau Outrigger Canoe Club, Nga Hoe Horo Outrigger Club from Kaitāia and Pineula from Auckland.
Gisborne’s Mareikura club has 30 to 40 paddlers ready to race.
Waka ama identity Walton Walker said having the championships in Gisborne was a huge honour.
“It’s a major undertaking to run it in the district and a lot of work has gone into preparations for it since the last long-distance championships last year.
“It’s not just about our local clubs, and representing ourselves well competitively, it’s also about showcasing the district.
“We just hope that the weather behaves.”
The 2023 long distance national waka ama championships at Whitianga. Due to the weather forecast, the two races that are planned for Thursday in this year's event will now be held on Sunday. Photo / Waka Ama NZ
Crews compete over distances of 8km, 16km and 24km in single-person (W1), double (W2), four-man (W4) and six-man (W6) waka.
There will be two races Friday with the first of them starting at 9.30am, and the second starting at 12.30pm.
Saturday and Sunday will each have another two two races , on two courses available off Midway.
The event is co-hosted by Waka Ama NZ and Te Uranga o Te Rā (East Coast Region).
Te Uranga o Te Rā, with Waka Ama New Zealand, was proud to host the 2024 Waka Ama Long Distance Nationals, a spokesman for the organisers said.
The event has the support of Trust Tairāwhiti, Te Puni Kōkiri, Air Tahiti Nui, the MAS Foundation and Hāpai Te Hauroa.
Gisborne Mayor Rehette Stoltz said it was wonderful for the community to be able to see world-class performances and it was also good for the local economy.
