Results for Race 3 are now live.
Category Archives: Event announcements
UPDATE – Race 3 postponed
Due to the impending unfavourable weather coming into Wellington, PCKC have postponed Saturday’s racing until Sunday 2nd August.
All current entries remain valid for the change to Sunday. If you need to make changes for your club, the WAANZ online entry system has been re-opened until midnight today to change/withdraw teams. https://www.wakaama.co.nz/racecalendar/lookup/2459
2026 Winter Paddler Series – Race 3
Nau piki mai ki te reihi tuatoru! Entries are open for the third race of the Hoe Tonga winter series, hosted by Porirua Canoe Kayak Club – PCKC. Get your crew together to celebrate the grit of winter racing in the home waters of PCKC at its best!
Saturday 1 August 2026
Onepoto, Porirua
8-10km short course
16-20km long course
W1, W2, W3, W4, W6 & W12
J16, J19, Novice, Open, Master, Senior Master, Golden Master divisions
Entries Close: Tuesday 28th July 2026 at 11:59pm
To view ALL race-course options and site map for the venue, read through the information in pānui 2 linked below or the WAANZ event page https://www.wakaama.co.nz/racecalendar/lookup/2459
We look forward to seeing you all at the third event ❄️
Tai Awa Waka Ama – Te Awa Tupua race 2026
Calling all W1 paddlers – entries are open for the first event hosted by Tai Awa Waka Ama to celebrate their one-year anniversary as a club. Head along to experience the beauty and mana of Te Awa Tupua.
- Saturday 25 July 2026
- Te Ao Hou Marae, Whanganui
- 6km short course
- 10 & 16km long courses
- W1 only
- J16, J19, Novice, Open, Master, Senior Master, Golden Master, 70+ & Adaptive divisions
- Entries Close: Tuesday 21st July 2026 at 11:59pm
https://www.wakaama.co.nz/racecalendar/lookup/2432
Tai Tonga 41 – Ngā mata o te ariki Tāwhirimātea race 2026
Get your entries in for another epic regional winter paddling event this July! Join Tai Tonga 41 Waka Ama Outrigger Canoe Club for their annual Matariki race – what better way to celebrate te tau hou Māori than being out on the moana 
- Saturday 11 July 2026
- Evans Bay, Wellington Harbour
- 8km short course
- 16km long course
- W1, W2, W4, W6
- OC1 & Surf Skis
- Open, Master, Senior Master, Golden Master divisions
- Entries Close: Tuesday 7th July 2026 at 11:59pm
https://www.wakaama.co.nz/racecalendar/lookup/2442
2026 Winter Paddler Series – Race 2
Introducing our hosts for the second race of the Hoe Tonga Winter Paddler Series – Mana Pasifika!!
- Sunday 21st June
- Ngāti Toa Domain, Porirua
- 8-9km short course
- 16-17km long course
- W6, W12
- Open, Master, Senior Master, Golden Master divisions
- Entries Close: Wednesday 17th Jun 2026 at 11:59pm
Club coordinators can complete team entries using the Waka Ama NZ online portal
Updated race information is available here: https://www.wakaama.co.nz/racecalendar/lookup/2458
We look forward to seeing you all at this exciting second event ❄️
Winter Paddler Series – Race 1 Results & Wrap up
Ka nui te mihi ki a Ōtaki Waka Hoe – what an awesome first event for the club and series. Click here to see all event results.
2026 Winter Paddler Series – Race 1
Introducing our hosts for the first race of the Hoe Tonga Winter Paddler Series – Ōtaki Waka Hoe!!
- Saturday 23 May 2026
- Sunday 24 May 2026 (postponement date)
- Paraparaumu Beach, Kāpiti
- 8-10km short course
- 18-20km long course
- W1, W2, W3, W4, W6, W12
- OC1 & OC2
- Novice, Juniors, Open, Master, Senior Master, Golden Master divisions
Club coordinators can complete team entries using the Waka Ama NZ online portal
Updated race information will be made available here: https://www.wakaama.co.nz/racecalendar/lookup/2454
We look forward to seeing you all in front of motu Kāpiti at this exciting opening event 
Celebrating our Rangatahi – 2026 College Sport Wellington/Hoe Tonga Regional Secondary School Waka Ama Sprint Champs
On Saturday, 7 March, we were proud to host the 2026 Regional Secondary School Waka Ama Sprints at Onepoto Domain, Porirua.
Click here to see all race results and times
We had great conditions for racing which allowed the event to run smoothly. Minimal Northerlies and plenty of sun was a blessing compared to the usual windy Wellington weather, which has now set in.
There were 22 schools registered, anticipating in excess of 500 paddlers and spectators, and it certainly felt like it on the day. The energy both on the water and around the park was incredible. It was fantastic to see so many rangatahi competing, supporting one another, and enjoying the day, creating an atmosphere that truly reflected the spirit of waka ama.
Massive shout-out to our incredible volunteers. These events simply would not happen without your ongoing support, commitment, and willingness to give your time for our rangatahi and the waka ama community. To the coaches, managers, kaiako and sports coordinators, thank you for supporting our rangatahi in the build-up to this event and contributing to the growth of waka ama in our region’s schools.
We are truly grateful to our amazing support crew:
- Marinna for leading the results team and finish line processes
- Thomas for welcoming everyone to Porirua with the opening event karakia to start the day
- Tewera, Jeff, Mika, Lawrence and Papa John who were out on the support boats managing the flags, race starts and ensuring our rangatahi were safe on the water
- David from CSW for the event photography, all photos can be found on the Hoe Tonga Facebook page
- Our Hoe Tonga Board members – Anita, Ani, Claire, James and Matai and Regional Development Coordinator, Jasmine. Tēnā tātou!
We would also like to acknowledge
- Porirua City Council for their support in helping us secure the venue just one week out from the event
- Porirua Rowing Club for allowing us access to their club facilities
- College Sport Wellington for managing the entries, comms with schools and providing the speaker system
- Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira for providing the generator to support the event
- Nuku Ora for running the rangatahi activation station and capturing participants whakaaro with event interviews
A special thank you to TOA Waka Ama, Hawaikinui Tuarua Waka Ama Club and Porirua Canoe Kayak Club for allowing us the use of their waka for the event. Your willingness to support the event is a great reflection of the strength and generosity of our waka ama community across the region.
Events like this are only possible because of the collective effort of our community. It was inspiring to see the strength of waka ama across our region and the spirit of whanaungatanga throughout the day.
To ensure we continue to improve on the delivery and performance of the Secondary School Regional Sprints event, your feedback is invaluable! We invite you to share your whakaaro with us by completing the feedback survey – https://forms.gle/1P9QTNvmBKYu8ctk6
We hope everyone enjoyed the event as much as we did and look forward to seeing you all again on the water soon.
Ngā mihi nui
Hoe Tonga Pacifica Waka Ama Association
Secondary School Regionals – Race Schedule, Lane Draw & Event Info for Onepoto
Kia ora e te whānau, we’re looking forward to an awesome weekend of racing! If you have any pātai, send us an email at hoetonga@gmail.com or ask us at registration.
Please note these do not include the changes to entries that were sent through today.
Just a reminder that all race times, heats and results will be available on Live Results, so managers and paddlers are encouraged to charge up your phones https://www.liveresults.co.nz/competition/509
Volunteers Roster & Check In
The volunteer roster is incomplete as we haven’t received everyone’s preferred times yet. These volunteers can check in with registration for more details when they arrive. Those who have responded with their volunteer times/area will receive confirmation via email but will still need to check in with registration upon arrival.
We appreciate everyone’s patience in getting this event sorted within the week 💙
Hoe Tonga Pacifica Waka Ama Association 