April 13, 2016
Manukau rangatahi get access to Whitewater park
Maori in south Auckland have pushed for a new white water training facility to be accessible to the region’s rangatahi.
Mana whenua yesterday blessed 47 pou at the Vector Wero White Water Park next to the Vodafone Event Centre in Manukau.
The 48th pou will remain covered until the official opening of the facility on April 26 by King Tuheitia and Prime Minister John Key.
When the park was proposed there complaints public money was going to support a facility for elite sports like kayaking and rafting.
But Wiri Licensing Trust member Rangi McLean, who took part in the blessing, says the trust is making a grant so children from all Manukau schools will have free access to what is a world class facility.
He says it’s a great opportunity to teach water safety as well as encourage participation in sports.
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