Biggest ever Waka Ama Sprint Nationals!
Waka Ama NZ is ready to host the biggest ever Waka Ama Sprint Nationals, 12-18 January 2025, Lake Karāpiro. With the support of manawhenua, Ngāti Korokī Kahukura and Ngāti Hauā, the 35th annual event will host a record number of 3875 participants from all across Aotearoa who will compete in the seven-day event.
Waka Ama NZ CEO, Lara Collins, says, “Our Sprint Nationals is always a pinnacle event for our waka ama whānau and it is exciting to see the growth in participation numbers for this years event. We are looking forward to coming together as a waka ama whānau for an awesome week of waka ama at Karāpiro”.
The event boasts a 19% growth in participation numbers from the 2024 event and will host participants across multiple divisions from tamariki (children), to rangatahi (youth), to pakeke (adults), and up to kaumātua (elders), as well as our para-athletes. An event that embodies our vision; Waka Ama - mā te katoa, mō āke tonu! Waka Ama - for all, for life!
As paddlers and whānau make their way to Karāpiro from all over Aotearoa to showcase their skills, sportsmanship, and support, it is sure to be another action-packed event with well over half of participants being under 23! Paddlers will take to Lake Karāpiro, in the Waipā District, and compete in single (W1), 6-paddler (W6), and 12-paddler (W12) events across distances of 250m, 500m, 1000m, and 1500m.
“Waka ama is more than a sport, it is a way of life, and its encouraging to see that over 60% of our participation for the event is aged 5-23yrs. Our clubs, regions, and wider waka ama whānau are doing amazing work at the community level and this is reflective in these statistics”, says Lara Collins, Waka Ama NZ CEO.
The event will also host an expected support crowd of over 8,000 spectators throughout the event and provide the popular vendor lane with the various stalls including kai, merchandise, hauora stations, kids activities, and lots more!
Whakaata Māori are the official broadcaster of the 2025 Waka Ama Sprint Nationals and coverage of the event will be available online. The event will start Sunday 12 January with a pōwhiri at 8.30am followed by taitamariki racing mid morning.
Key links
Contact
