Aotearoa is preparing to send its biggest-ever waka ama contingent to the IVF World Sprint Championships, with hundreds of kaihoe heading to Singapore to take on the best paddlers on the planet.
A massive 580 kaihoe will represent Aotearoa at the 2026 International Va’a Federation World Sprint Championships, with more than 200 club-team entries qualifying alongside national elite teams and individual V1 paddlers.
The championships will be staged at Singapore’s Marina Bay from 17 to 31 August and are expected to bring together around 3,000 paddlers from across the world.
It will also mark a milestone for the sport, with the world championships being held in Asia for the first time.
580 KAIHOE CARRYING AOTEAROA WITH THEM
For Waka Ama Aotearoa New Zealand, the scale of this year’s campaign demonstrates just how far the sport has grown.
Waka ama now stretches across generations, from rangatahi and elite athletes to kaumātua, whānau and community-based club crews.
The 580-strong contingent includes elite athletes who have completed a 10-month high-performance campaign as well as club paddlers who fought their way through national qualification.
And they will be carrying considerably more than paddles onto the water.
Behind every crew are clubs, whānau, communities and regions that have helped their kaihoe reach the international stage.
Many supporters are also expected to make the journey to Singapore.
FROM TE TAI TOKERAU TO TE WHANGANUI-A-TARA
The scale of waka ama’s reach across the motu is reflected in the qualifying clubs.
Crews are heading to Singapore from Te Tai Tokerau, Tāmaki Makaurau, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Tairāwhiti, Hawke’s Bay, Taranaki, Horowhenua, Te Whanganui-a-Tara and beyond.
That nationwide network has become one of waka ama’s greatest strengths.
At grassroots level, clubs provide opportunities for whānau and communities to participate in the sport.
At the other end of the pathway, those same clubs are helping produce athletes capable of competing against the world’s best.
RECORD NUMBERS CONTINUE TO GROW
The numbers tell the story.
The current qualifying roster includes 210 club-team entries, up from 208 teams that qualified for the 2024 World Sprint Championships in Hilo, Hawaiʻi.
That is in addition to the national elite programme, which includes J19 Wāhine, J19 Tāne, Open Wāhine, Open Tāne and Para Mixed teams.
The combination of grassroots participation and high-performance competition has helped turn waka ama into one of Aotearoa’s great sporting success stories.
For many Māori, however, waka ama has always represented considerably more than sport.
It connects whakapapa, tikanga, hauora, whānau and competition while continuing the relationship between Māori and the waka traditions of the Pacific.
AOTEAROA TAKES ITS PLACE ON THE WORLD STAGE
When the first paddles hit the water at Marina Bay, Aotearoa will arrive with one of its strongest representations yet.
Some kaihoe will be chasing world titles.
Others will be experiencing international competition for the first time.
But all 580 will be representing the clubs and communities that helped put them there.
And for rangatahi watching from home, there is another powerful message.
The journey from a local waka ama club to representing Aotearoa on the world stage is no longer an abstract dream.
There is a pathway.
There are crews travelling it.
And this August, the biggest Aotearoa contingent ever assembled will paddle it all the way to Singapore.
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