Pioke Pursuit 2022

Pioke Pursuit refers to one of the taonga species of Ngāti Wheke, Pioke / Rig or Spotted Dogfish - that is a significant part of Ngāti Wheke identity and mahinga kai (food gathering) traditions.

This race is based on a pursuit style event that was first undertaken at Rāpaki in 2003 and hosted by Te Waka Pounamu. The idea is to have a fun event, requiring little set up and minimal equipment, but that helps both novice and experienced paddlers and crews gain practice in both sprint racing and turns, and as a way to prepare for the Te Waka o Aoraki Regional Sprints in December. We are also holding the event as a way of getting our own whanau from Rāpaki involved in waka ama.

The pursuit races will be competed over 1000m for W6 Open/Adult teams and over 400m for W6 Junior crews. All racing is in Mixed teams for both Opens and Juniors – with a maximum of 20 teams across all grades. Included below is the race information you will need to get your team entered and to understand the race format. Steerers will be provided for teams who may require them, so please indicate this when completing your entry.