Hoki mai anō a Hilda Harawira tētehi o Ngā Kaihoe o Ngāti Rēhia Trust ki Karāpiro, ā, he mārama te kitea ki a ia kei te piki te tokomaha o te hunga e taetae mai ana ko te āki a Harawira kia whai tautoko ko ngā whakataetae ā-rohe.
“Whā mano rima rau ngā kaihoe i tēnei whakataetae. No reira, ki au he pai hei tautoko i ngā whakataetae ā rohe. Mehemea ka kite i tēnei hākinakina mai i ngā pēpi, ki ngā kuia pērā i a mātou, ngā pakeke whitu tekau mā rima,” hei tā Hilda.
“Ahakoa te pai o te wairua, āhuatanga aroha o te whakataetae. Kia kaua e ngaro. Kia kaua e ngaro te haumarutanga i roto i te nuitanga,” hei tāna anō.
“Mā Te Tai Tokerau, mā Māhaki me ērā mea hoki e mahi ana ngā whakataetae takiwā i mua i te whakataetae ā-motu. Ki ahau nei, too many people.”
Ahakoa kua tino piki te tokomaha o ngā kaihoe, ko tētehi o ngā wawata mō Waka Ama Aotearoa ki te piki hoki te pūtea tautoko ki te whakahaere i tētehi whakataetae nui whakaharahara pēnei.
He $150k te whiwhinga ki a Waka Ama Aotearoa mai i te Kawanatanga ki te titiro ki a Rowing NZ he tata ki te $6 miriona i te tau ka whiwhi ki a rātou.
“Me te whakaaro hoki, kei konei te mahi a te tangata, kei konei te marea o te tangata,” hei tā te Minita Whanaketanga Māori a Tama Potaka.
“Me waea atu ka tika ki te minita mō ngā mahi a rēhia kia kite i tēnei hua pai, i tēnei rongopai, kia tae aa tinana mai ki te kite i teenei āhuatanga,” hei tā Tama anō.
“Kātahi ka mōhio nei, e waatea ana a ia ki te āta tautoko ā-pūtea nei i tēnei kaupapa.”
Record-breaking Waka Ama Nationals spark calls for increased support to match
A dramatic surge in participation at the Waka Ama Sprint Nationals is prompting a conversation about the event’s financial sustainability and regional support. With Waka Ama NZ statistics showing that more than 100 waka ama clubs and 10,000 spectators attended last year’s Nationals, the continued rise in entries raises concerns about whether the competition’s existing structure can accommodate the regions.
Waka Ama NZ Chief Executive, Lara Collins, said the conversation to revisit how to mitigate the ever-growing attraction of the sport is certainly a priority. She noted that immediate financial handouts would not be the solution to the long-term pressures.
“We do the best we can with everything we have,” Collins said. “Honestly if someone was to give me hundreds or thousands of dollars right now, I’m sure it wouldn’t make any difference to what is happening. It’s an awesome event, I think it’s going well.”
“I think what we do need more support for is so that we can increase capability and capacity at a regional and club level,” she said.
“We want Waka Ama to reach its full potential and the potential is actually within the community.”