Skip Content
The Horouta Waka Hoe Club

The Horouta Waka Hoe Club received an unexpected birthday surprise at the Te Wānanga o Aotearoa Waka Ama National champs this week.

The club is celebrating its 20th year this year and had its named pulled from the hat in a draw for exclusive access to a lakeside VIP tent at Lake Karāpiro for the duration of the week-long regatta.

The tent, complete with white picket fence, furnished with beanbags and stocked with drinks and snacks, caters for­­­ up to 30 people at a time and the club gets to use it exclusively until Saturday.

On the first day of competition on Monday, it was packed with midget paddlers from the club, with Team Minions jumping on the beanbags and cheering on their Team Hulk club-mates in one of the first races.

As crews returned from their races, they were welcomed back to the tent with high fives and hugs from team-mates and whānau.

Steph Te Amo-Smith from the club says it was a great surprise to learn they had won the competition and the club intended to make the most of their good luck.

“It’s pretty awesome,” she says.

“It’s huge for us to win. We’ll be rotating crews through here all week.”

The club is used to winning, taking out the prestigious Club Points trophy six times in the last seven years.

To enter the competition, people had to say what waka ama means to them.

The winning Horouta entry was:  “I believe Waka Ama gives my family and me something healthy and whānau orientated to do as a whānau.” 

 Back to news & events

Published On:

Article By:



Other Articles

  • 3 October 2023

    Wānanga supports organisation with staff professional development

    Te Wānanga o Aotearoa has been able to support an organisation with professional development, offreing te reo Māori classes to a group of their Wellington based kaimahi.

  • 28 September 2023

    Te Wānanga o Aotearoa kaiako attending 2023 Toi Kiri Festival in Tauranga

    Te Wānanga o Aotearoa will attend the prestigious Toi Kiri World Indigenous Arts Festival in Mt Maunganui for the first time this year. Eight kaiako (teachers) will participate in the festival, which gathers indigenous artists from around the world to showcase their art.

  • 25 September 2023

    Tūwhitia Symposium drives student success for underserved learners

    This week Te Wānanga o Aotearoa will host organisations from across the tertiary sector as they come together for the second annual Tūwhitia Symposium, where they will discuss and explore ways that work towards the continued drive of positive outcomes for underserved learners in Aotearoa.

  • 25 September 2023

    Oranga Tamariki continues to improve Māori cultural capability with support from Te Wānanga o Aotearoa

    With the support of Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, Oranga Tamariki is making a continuous and conscious effort to strengthen the knowledge and respect for Māori culture amongst their kaimahi, as well as a commitment to better fulfil their Tiriti o Waitangi obligations.