19/02/2020
Mauri Ora kia tātou i runga i ngā tini āhuatanga maha o te wā
He karanga tēnei ki ngā Marae maha kei te tū ngā Whakataetae ā Marae hei te tuawhitu o Poutu te rangi.
Raukotahi Marae Waka Ama will be held on the 7th of March once again on our Majestic River based at the lower road of Kowhai Park.
Raukotahi Waka Ama Marae Challenge has become an annual event on all marae calendar that allows uri of Te Awa o Whanganui to come together and celebrate our awa, our Whanganuitanga and our competitive nature all in one day. Waka ama is only a vessel to unite our Iwi and anyone can participate regardless of your experience, age, fitness level, or size. Bringing uri home to represent our whanau, marae, hapu and Iwi and parading the banks of Te Awa Tupua with a rainbow of coloured tee-shirts is one of the highlights of the day.
The roadway along the awa will be closed from 745am - 5pm and races will run from 830am - 430pm. We will have 2 support crafts on the awa and 4 waka racing at anyone time and will endeavour to stay close to the Kowhai park side.
We would like to invite our Iwi health and education providers as well as any other positive kaupapa to come along and enjoy the atmosphere and promote some of the amazing mahi happening in our rohe
A site plan will be set for marae, vendors and promoters, administration and a special area for our kaumatua to sit and enjoy the day.
We are also using this kaupapa to promote our 2 Golden Masters teams who are made up of kaihoe aged 60 years+ who are competing t the Waka Ama World Sprints in Hawaii later this year as well as our kura tuarua who are heading to the Secondary School Sprints in Rotorua at the end of March.
If you have any queries or can assist in anyway, please feel free to contact Seletar Taputoro via Facebook
