Certificate in Waka Ama

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Tena koutou e te whanau

Below some information regarding a certificate in Waka Ama.

The programme offers an overview of waka ama, including paddling,
coaching, team management, food preparation and whänau support.
The programme encourages lifelong learning and development and
is taught in a supportive and positive environment. Students will learn
about waka ama in a wide range of contexts, including learning to paddle,
learning roles and responsibilities within waka ama club management,
water safety and completing Coaching Level 1 applicable for waka ama
and use across other sporting arenas.

A graduate of the Certificate in Waka Ama Level 4 will have knowledge
of waka types, history and tradition or waka ama, knowledge of tikanga
waka, tikanga Mäori and whakapapa, and water safety skills, all in a
waka ama context.

For further information please contact our Te Tai Tonga kaiako
Ben Ngaia on:
Phone: 021 1437 692
Email: ben.ngaia300@gmail.com

The programme is delivered via eight monthly weekend noho marae
and a one-day wänanga. Students who enrol on the programme will
experience waka ama paddling activities during the noho marae delivery.
Students will also engage in directed and self-directed study, experiential,
and peer learning.

Quick facts:

Duration: 36 weeks part time

Start: March 2010

Location: Wellington

Cost: no fees

More information: www.twoa.ac.nz or 0800 355 553

Wellington Dragon Boat Festival invites all Waka ama Clubs to enter

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A notice from the organisers of the Wellington Dragon Boat Festival (note that this event is on the same date as the Takapuna Cup in Auckland):

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To All NZ Waka Ama Clubs,

The Wellington Dragon Boat Festival is going through a huge growth phase this year and has teams of paddlers from all around New Zealand and as far afield as Australia entering the iconic Festival.  This is no longer just a corporate event but a full on sports racing venue where the best of the best will be recognised.

We don’t want anyone to miss out on this exciting event so we are inviting all NZ Waka Ama clubs to get together and enter teams into the Festival which will be running over the weekend of 27th and 28th February 2010.  (Saturday 27th Adult teams and Sunday 28th School teams).

To encourage you all – we are more than halving the entry fees for all teams that are bonefied Waka Ama paddlers and also putting up a prize of $1,000 worth of drink vouchers for after party which is being held at the Chicago Bar in Queens Wharf on Saturday 27th February.  Your entry fee including a team Marquee and GST is $1,500 which works out to be around $60 per person is you have a squad of 25 people.  (20 paddlers 3 spares, one sweep and one drummer).  We will lend you a sweep if you don’t have an experienced dragon boat one as Wellington can be a challenging venue.

All Waka Ama teams will be eligible to race in the open/sports division.  The corporate division have restricted training so will remain separate.  You can enter either into the traditional Mixed crew category or the new Men’s and Women’s only categories.

For Wellington based Waka Ama paddlers and anyone else who is able to make it to Wellington, we will open up Saturday morining on 14th February as a training day for Waka Ama teams only so that you can get used to being in a dragon boat before the big event.  We will also use the session to go over the safety and capsize procedures to make sure everyone knows what the procedures are in case of a capsize.  As we have to pay for the safety boats and the safety staff, each team will need to pay for one session at $165 inc GST per team if they wish to take up this opportunity.

We do have paddles we can hire out, (due to the size of Waka Ama paddles, they cannot be used in this event) however with the introduction of the new internationally recognized Tee Bars we are selling these through our website. www.dragonboat.org.nz Please check out the equipment page.

For more information and an entry pack, please contact us on    crew@dragonboat.org.nz or phone (04) 471 0205.

Entries close on 7th February 2010.  No late entries will be accepted as the race draw will be made up on 8th February.

All the details on the NZCT Wellington Dragon Boat Festival can be found on www.dragonboat.org.nz

We look forward to stepping up the competition this year and hosting you all in Wellington.

Regards

Wendy Smyth
NZCT Wellington Dragon Boat Festival
www.dragonboat.org.nz
email:  wendy@dragonboat.org.nz
Phone (04) 471 0205

Notice HTPWAA W1 – Nationals 2010

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Notice to: All paddlers who have made quota for HTPWAA W1!

 I hope your training is going well and you are now focussing on your upcoming races. Please note it is the paddlers and club representatives responsibility (Juniors) to ensure you are aware of the race schedule .Therefore,  if you are not intending on competing in your respective division and have not notified HTPWAA of withdrawl your club will be invoiced for any withdrawl fees incurred. 

To date where withdrawls have been made, Hoe Tonga has offered a place to the next on the quota list. These amendments have been processed and no further additions or alterations will be done. If you are unable to paddle on Thursday 21 January 2010 in the W1 races due to exceptional circumstances you will need to make  a medical or special exemptions application to admin@wakaama.co.nz , and let the regional coordinator Chris Fox know htpwaa@gmail.com (027 651 5379)

Due to reallocated space for waka, there is no restriction to the amount or type of W1 that can be used for this event.  Space will again be marked out for each region.  Your regional coordinator (Chris Fox 027 651 5379) will monitor this space and ensure access-ways are not blocked.  Paddlers are responsible for storing W1 in allocated spaces without causing damage to any other waka. 

W1 must be weighed and checked-in on Wednesday 20th between 12 noon and 6pm.  Only Hulls will be weighed and must not exceed 16kgs. (Paddler must provide their own Weights) W1 will need to be lashed after weigh in and left in the secured storage area as will be directed. Every Waka must have Number holder. A limited supply of number holders will be onsite and can be purchased from the Admin building for $5 each.  HTPWAA will not be supplying number holders at Nationals (refer to Panui 2 below for further information).

2010_Nationals Panui 2

Results from W6 Series II now available

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First things first: Hoe Tonga is missing a couple of green volunteer jackets and three lane numbers that form part of Hoe Tonga’s race resources. If you have found them, can you please contact Joern on 021-1250997 asap. Many thanks.

Results: Click here to access the complete results for the Hoe Tonga W6 Series II held on 13 Dec. They should be read in conjunction with a short ‘REMARKS’ document. Click here to access this document.

Thank you again to all volunteers, without you it would not be possible to  run these events.

2010 Surf ski and Waka ama series

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Below are the scheduled races for the 2010 Wellington Series:
Jan 10 Hataitai Beach (7 km)
Jan 31 Ngatitoa Domain (7 km)
Feb 21 Petone Foreshore (Tory St) (8 km around Matiu Is)
Mar 14 Shelley Bay (10km Seatoun course)
Apr 4 Petone (Wellington Waterski Club (13km motorway course)
Apr 25 Ngatitoa Domain (15km ) plus short course option

The races are every 3 weeks as you can see and the distances build up to the Matariki race (15km to 20km) which should be at the end of May/early June 2010. Series brought to you by race organisers Chester Burt and Charlene Winiata – see website for more details and other events: http://www.surfski.co.nz/

Wellington’s not windy-Yeah Right!

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Congratulations to all paddlers from Hoe Tonga who battled blustery conditions at our last W6 Regional Sprints (II) before Nationals 2010, particularly the intermediate boys and girls who perhaps had the worst conditions, you were awesome!

Volunteers – the organising committee can not thank you enough over the last 3 regattas the support has been fantastic!  Just to mention a few who have been able to mentor and support the growing  number of new volunteers within the region:
Support Boat Crew – John Hodges, Dennis Ngatai, Dave Ryde, Brendon Comerford and Laurence from Nga Waka
Registration: Katie Townsend, Raukawa Comerford and Mere Elkington
Loading Bay: Averalle and Keith Paenga, Karmen Wallace, Charmaine Matiaha, Chris Fox and Daniel Albert (fantastic commentary)
Finish Line: Marinna Millanta-Lowrey

A big thanks to the sub-committees who have taken on board the task of organising each event which each year gets larger in numbers and provides some exciting paddling : Joern Scherzer, Chris Fox, Katie Townsend, Raukawa Comerford and Mere Elkington.

On behalf of Hoe Tonga keep safe over the break and enjoy time on the water, we will see you all at Nationals, January 2010!

W6 (II) on 13 December will go ahead

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The event will go ahead.

Unfortunately the windy conditions continue. The forecast from 3.30pm is as follows: Northwest rising to 30 knots gusting 40 knots in the morning, easing to 25 knots gusting 35 knots in the evening. Cloudy periods, with some afternoon showers. 19 degrees.

This means effectively that the weather will be similar to today. However, due to the northwesterly winds, the race course is reasonably protected (apart from the area around the 500m startline) and the wind chop build up is somewhat limited. Thus, teams will likely find that the wind rather than waves are the main problem.

The committee has therefore decided to go ahead.