The detailed event information for Race 1 of the Series is now available online. The event is hosted by Hawaiki Nui Tua Rua Waka Ama, at Dolly Varden Beach, on 25 May.

Hoe Tonga takes safety seriously. A friendly reminder that any canoes with visible damage or cracks will not be considered seaworthy and will not pass safety checks. Please ensure your teams check their canoes, and if damage exists, to get this fixed before the event to avoid teams not being able to race. Of course, canoes with clean hulls and no cracks will also make you go faster.

Another big Regionals done for the year. Again we saw a slight increase in the number of races that were run, with competitor numbers similar to the previous year.

There was some close racing, and if you are looking for the results, you can find them at https://wp.me/p7gD9I-1AR.

A massive thank you again to all the hard working volunteers, helpers and officials, without whom this event would not be possible.

As some of you will have noticed, we encountered a few challenges this year, and there are some lessons to be learnt for 2019. We will be doing a debrief with Masterton District Council in the near future.

The Club Excellence Award was again won by Otaki Waka Hoe. Congratulations!

For the James Hapeta Club Spirit Award, this year saw two clubs sharing the honours: Hikoikoi Waka Club  and Hawaikinui Waka Ama Club. Congratulations!

Now its time to get ready for the National Sprint Champs in January 2019. Good luck to all competitors.

As per rule 21.7 in the Waka Ama NZ race rules, W12 crews at Nationals can be made up of competitors from up to two clubs from the same region, but only in the following divisions:

This rule only applies where a club does not have sufficient paddlers to form their own, stand-alone, W12 crews in those age categories.  A W12 crew made up of two clubs may be a combination of any number of paddlers from those two clubs. They must satisfy all other rules as specified in the race rules.

If your club wishes to combine with another club in the above divisions, please take note of the following:

• The proposed entry will need to be sent to hoetonga@gmail.com by no later than 10 December. This will ensure that Hoe Tonga has sufficient time to make the entries to meet the Waka Ama NZ timeframes.
• Entries are to be submitted only by an executive officer of one of the clubs. In the email the relevant executive officer must provide confirmation that (i) both clubs agree on the entry and its name (copy in other relevant executive officers), and (ii) that the entry has been checked by both clubs to comply with relevant rules.
• Paddler names must be submitted to hoetonga@gmail.com no later than 31 December 2018. Hoe Tonga will not chase up unfilled rosters – relevant late fees will be passed on to clubs. It is the club’s responsibility to inform Hoe Tonga of the roster, or of any changes to the roster. Paddler names should not be submitted until all paddlers have been checked by the clubs as being on the Waka Ama NZ membership database for their club.

Go to https://liveresults.co.nz/competition/186 to find out the latest results.

Find out more at https://wp.me/p7gD9I-1AR

The Board is pleased to present our report for 2018. Copies for club representatives will be available at tomorrow’s AGM in Whanganui.

Please click here to download a copy.

We are sad to announce that Chris Fox has tendered her resignation from the board. Therefore one vacancy will arise as a Hoe Tonga Board member after the AGM September 15th.

Hoe Tonga would like to acknowledge the time and efforts Chris Fox has contributed as a Board Member over the years she has been in the position. She has put in countless hours towards the growth of our sport in the region and she will be missed.

As a result of the vacancy, one elected positions, Hoe Tonga is calling for nominations for one new elected Board member. Deadline for application will be at the end of the month on September 30th

The process is as follows:

• Nominations can be made by Member Clubs. You can nominate any individual. Nominees do not need be a member/paddler of your club or region.
• We are seeking Board members who will take an active involvement in the sport’s governance body and in the best interests of its membership as a whole. All nominees must be honest, reliable, trustworthy and comfortable to ‘walk and talk’, particularly in relation to the values of our sport (as outlined in our Strategic Plan).
• Clubs and nominees must fill in the nomination form. They must be received, completed with relevant nominee profile and sent to hoetonga@gmail.com. The list of nominees, along with their profiles, will be posted on the Hoe Tonga website.
• Click here to download the nomination form.

Check out the evidence from Race 2… go to https://flic.kr/s/aHskDbQXmv or click on the photo below. All photos can be downloaded in full size from our flickr photo site.