Waka ama, culture, and community in Masterton
This weekend, Masterton will welcome waka ama teams affiliated to Hoe Tonga for the Regional Sprint Championship.
This premier annual sprint event will determine the regional champions who will go on to compete at the 2024 National Waka Ama Championship held at Lake Karāpiro in January.
This event will host competitors from a range of ages and backgrounds, including Te Wānanga o Aotearoa tauira, Terina Rimene, who studies the Level 4 Certificate in Waka at the Masterton campus, alongside fellow tauira, Gareth Wheeler.
“I’ve been doing waka ama on and off for around 10 years. I thought that studying waka would be a good way for me to immerse myself in te ao Māori. It’s been like the next stage for me in my te reo learning,” says Gareth who moved to Aotearoa from Australia around 30 years ago.
Both Gareth and Terina were quick to learn that waka ama is more than just a physical sport; it reinforces the culture and tikanga of te ao Māori while also focussing on a participant's hauora.
“Right from the start of the programme there’s a focus on hauora and it’s a good reminder about regaining balance in your life. This has been a good way for me to step back, look at what I’m doing and see what’s important to me,” says Gareth.
It was Terina’s daughter that inspired her to study waka, saying, “I chose to study waka to gain more knowledge to help my daughter.”
Terina chose to study waka at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa so she could learn from the kaiako who also coaches her daughter's team.
The programme has given her the skills required to support her daughter, but it’s also opened the door to new opportunities for Terina. On top of her fulltime mahi and study, Terina is now also volunteering as co-manager for a local women’s waka ama club and the intermediate girls' crew, and they have already pulled together two open women’s teams.
Studying waka has also afforded Gareth and Terina the chance to connect with other tauira and be a part of a community that they can draw support from and grow alongside.
“There’s great whanaungatanga and each of us come from different walks of life. It’s been humbling and I feel privileged to be welcomed in and be a part of this cohort,” says Gareth.
Learn more about our Hauora programmes.
Pūrongo whakahirahira
Featured stories
Finding a deeper sense of self through te ao Māori
Moving to Aotearoa from rural Australia as a teenager, Lily Warring found herself wanting to learn more about the culture and language of the place she now called home.
A journey shaped by whānau and a love of tamariki
Members of Tayla-Marie Takawe’s (Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Maniapoto) whānau were among the first tauira to graduate from the Bachelor of Education (Primary Teaching) at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.
Reconnecting to te ao Māori through raranga
Haylee Roussel (Ngāti Rārua, Rangitāne, Ngāti Maniapoto) was searching for a way to reconnect with te ao Māori when she enrolled in the Certificate in Māori and Indigenous Art, Raranga, at the Waiwhero campus of Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.
Creating the spark for business success
With plenty of experience as an electrician, Josh Verstraten was ready to branch out from employee to business owner, but he knew running a successful business would require a new set of skills.
From financial stress to financial freedom for Auckland whānau
For Augustine Kopa, studying the Certificate in Money Management at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa was about creating a better future for her whānau.
Two generations, one reo Māori journey
When Melody Francis (Ngāti Kahungunu) saw the positive impact that studying te reo Māori had on her mum, she decided to jump on the waka and begin the journey alongside her.
Tikanga study boosts whānau presence on marae
Patrick and Donna Tobin (Ngāti Kahu) are a brother-and-sister duo studying tikanga alongside their wider whānau at Te Paatu Marae in Kaitaia, all working towards the betterment of their whānau, iwi, and marae.
A teacher’s path to understanding tikanga
Originally from South Africa, Franda Zondagh has called Aotearoa home since 2003, but it was through studying He Papa Tikanga with Te Wānanga o Aotearoa that she began to feel a deeper connection to the place she lives and people she serves in her mahi.
Leading by example and learning te reo Māori
Liisa Wharepapa’s (Te Whānau ā Apanui) journey with te reo Māori wasn’t something that happened overnight, it was a goal waiting to be pursued until the moment she felt ready to take that step.
Returning home and reclaiming te reo Māori
After many years away building his professional career, Logan Bertram (Whakatōhea), returned home to Ōpōtiki with a clear goal of reconnecting with his whakapapa and creating a better future for his young whānau.
