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Gisborne’s Horouta Waka Hoe showed its dominance of the sport at the Waka Ama NZ sprint nationals over the past week on Lake Karapiro, winning the club trophy for the eight time in nine years with a massive 343 points, or 14 percent of the points on offer.
The next closest clubs were Ruamatā from Rotorua with 145 points, and another Rotorua club, Hei Matau paddlers, on 141.
Manukau Outrigger Canoe Club managed a creditable fourth with 136 points, followed by Ōtaki and another three Auckland clubs, Taniwha, Waitākere and Te Paerangi Waka Ama.
The Ace Cuthers Memorial Club Spirit Award for club performance on and off the water went to Whangārei’s Mitamitaga o le Pasefika Va'a-alo Canoe Club.
Officials and volunteers said the club optimized the values of waka ama, including manaakitanga, whanaungatanga, hauora, and tū tangata throughout the entire week, on and off the water.
There were special awards for people who have made major contributions to the sport: Raipoia Brightwell, the Tahitian wife of waka ama pioneer Matahi Brightwell, and the late Chrissy Herbert and Bo Herbert, who won many national and international titles before their early deaths in 2001 and 2005.
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