Money to refloat waka ama club following cyclone Gabrielle devastation. Video / Phibbs Visuals
For nearly 40 years Gisborne’s Mareikura Waka Ama club, the first to be established in Aotearoa New Zealand, has been at the forefront of the waka ama revival around the motu.
But over two days in February the club was destroyed as Cyclone Gabrielle wreaked havoc on the North Island, particularly in the Hawke’s Bay and East Cape regions. The main training ground was covered in brown sludge, the riverbank was wiped out - ruining plans for a new boatshed - and all the small waka were destroyed.
Raipoia Brightwell of the Mareikura Waka Ama Club - "The awa is part of our life." Photo / Phibbs Visuals
“The awa is part and parcel of our life,” said Raipoia Brightwell, one of the founding members of the club. “To see the river in the state it is now it’s also very devastating - that sense of loss.”
The waka ama club and the local Tairawhiti Adventure Trust will be the beneficiaries of a fundraiser at Auckland’s Eden Park next week to help them recover from the cyclone.
Amy Spence of the adventure trust points out that local council priorities are the civil infrastructure: water, sewage and roading - not sport.
“It’s not core for them to be looking after the leisure and recreation sector,” she said. “This is something that as a community, we need to step up and do it; it’s going to be driven by the community.”
The Milford Foundation is getting behind communities to rebuild their lost facilities and repair or replace lost equipment. A star-studded fundraising evening, Burgers, Beers and Brilliant Sportspeople hosted by Jason Gunn will let guests rub shoulders with sporting legends, participate in a live auction fundraiser and enjoy an interactive panel hosted by double All Black, Jeff Wilson.
Haimona Ngata of the Tairawhiti Adventure Trust. Photo / Phibbs Visuals
“Sports help to build a sense of community, belonging and opportunity for rangatahi and tamariki throughout New Zealand,” said Milford Foundation chief executive Bryce Marsden. “All of the sportspeople backing our event on Monday have seen and benefited from that first-hand, and our hope is to provide hundreds of thousands in essential funding to the hardest-hit areas.”
Haimona Ngata of the Tairawhiti Adventure Trust said the organisation “couldn’t be more stoked” to get the money.
“It’s gonna go such a long way in helping us get these active facilities into these smaller communities at the East Coast.”
“We’re grateful for all the help we can get,” adds Brightwell. “We could get our kids back on the water, our families back on the water and get people back into doing something that they’ve enjoyed for years that will bring on more happy years.”
