The hearse carrying Ngāti Korokī Kahukura’s Karaitiana Tamatea.
Karaitiana Tamatea’s last visit to the Waka Ama Aotearoa New Zealand Sprint Nationals on Monday was marked with a haka.
Karaitiana Tamatea
Tamatea, who died on Saturday aged 66, had worked tirelessly behind the scenes for years supporting Waka Ama Aotearoa New Zealand in bringing the event to Lake Karāpiro.
“This is the 17th year I have worked with him and Ngāti Korokī Kahukura,” said a visibly moved Waka Ama Aotearoa New Zealand chief executive Lara Collins.
“He’s been involved before that, and his whānau spend the whole week with us.”
The hearse carrying Ngāti Korokī Kahukura’s Karaitiana Tamatea. Photo: Waka Ama Aotearoa New Zealand
Tamatea’s funeral cortege called into the second day of the sprint nationals on Monday and drove along the lakeside where racing was suspended in his honour.
Waka Ama Aotearoa New Zealand was a family, Collins said, and Tamatea and his whānau were an important part of it.
Paddlers performed a haka as Tamatea’s hearse left the domain for his marae at Maungatautari.
The sprint nationals are Waka Ama Aotearoa New Zealand’s biggest event of the year, and the latest event attracted a record 4613 paddlers aged from five to 80.
Waka Ama Aotearoa New Zealand chief executive Lara Collins, left, reviews a healthy homes model with National Hauora Coalition event co-ordinator Stephanie Whyte. Photo: Chris Gardner
“It’s always the biggest year,” Collins said. “This year we have 800 more paddlers.”
Slightly more than half of the competitors – 2472 – are female and the largest category is 16-year-old girls where there are 75 teams of six or seven girls.
While other sports actively recruit 16-year-old girls, Waka Ama naturally attracted them, Collins said.
“It’s intergenerational,” Collins said. “It’s a fairly inclusive sport. It’s pretty special.”
Collins said four new clubs had started in New Zealand in the last year, bringing the number of clubs up to 100.
Three quarters of competitors are Māori or Pacific Islanders, and teams have come from the length of New Zealand as well as overseas including Australia, Samoa, and Japan.
Te Piringa Kotuka Māori healthcare researcher Jamie-Lee Rahiri is joined by medical student Noah Appleby on the laparoscopic trainer. Photo: Chris Gardner
Cambridge News 15 January 2026
The first sprint national event was held at Lake Karāpiro in 1990. It has been the event’s permanent home since 1999.
The biggest challenge, Collins said, was car parking. Organisers were grateful to a neighbouring resident who had opened a garden to allow more than 100 cars to park there.
For the first time this year, organisers have included a Hauora health and wellbeing hub designed to get participants and their whanau thinking about improving health outcomes.
National Hauora Coalition event co-ordinator Stephanie Whyte was on hand to share best practice for healthy homes using a model.
“Homes should have one heater in the living area with extractor fans in the bathroom and kitchen,” she said.
Whyte said she had interest from renters and homeowners alike.
Pineula and Te Toki: There are more16-year-old girls, like these Pineula and Te Toki team paddlers, competing in the Waka Ama Aotearoa New Zealand Sprint Nationals than any other age group. Photos: Waka Ama Aotearoa New Zealand
Te Rau Oranga o Ngāti Kahunganunu Waka Ama Club competes in the J16 Women’s category at the waka ama sprint nationals. Photo: Waka Ama Aotearoa New Zealand
Te Piringa Kotuka Māori healthcare researcher Jamie-Lee Rahiri was also on hand, encouraging participants to try their hand with laparoscopic (or keyhole) tools using a lap trainer.
Using the tools provided, participants had to move small balls from one place to another without dropping them.
Rahiri, who has previously participated in the event as a paddler, brought medical students with her to encourage participants to think about health care as a pathway.
Rahiri said she supported the establishment of the University of Waikato’s medical school.
“The fact that people are waiting three weeks to see a GP is just not acceptable,” Rahiri said.
The Accident Compensation Corporation, Diabetes New Zealand, and Pinnacle Midlands Health Network were among those represented.
Waikato marquees and event management company X-Site sales manager Tony Muller said the company had supplied and erected about 35 marquees at the event this year.
“It’s quite a big event for us,” he said.
Tūrangawaewae Waka Sports _ Taitamatāne. Photo: Waka Ama Aotearoa New Zealand
Taitamatane class competitors Rāhui Pōkeka Waka Sports and Tūrangawaewae Waka Sports. Photos: Waka Ama Aotearoa New Zealand
Waka Ama Aotearoa New Zealand chief executive Lara Collins pauses by the hearse carrying Ngāti Korokī Kahukura’s Karaitiana Tamatea. Photo: Waka Ama Aotearoa New Zealand
