Pioke Pursuit 2023

Karanga ki te uru  Karanga ki te tonga Karangaki ngā hau e whā

Ko te karanga o te kaihao pioke e karanga nei. Tēnā koutou.

Nau mai, tauti maiki te rā whakanui waka ama ki Te Rāpaki o Te Rakiwhakaputa.

Te Hapū o Ngāti Wheke would like to invite you to compete in the 2023 Pioke Pursuit to be held on Sunday 29 October 2023 at Rāpaki. The name Pioke Pursuit refers to one of our local taonga species, Pioke / Rig or Spotted Dogfish that is a significant part of our 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 Outrigger Canoe Club. 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 approximately 800m 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.