1. What is your tupuna waka and the waka you are currently kaitiaki for?
Ko Tainui, ko Te Huruhurumanu, ko Horouta, ko Takitimu ōku tūpuna waka.
As part of the Te Toki Voyaging Trust whānau, we have Aotearoa One, Rangi and Hinemoana who we help to look after as a whānau.
2. What is your favourite waka saying?
‘Success is succession’ – Matua Hotu. This is a saying I first heard in the waka context, but that I now think about and apply to every other kaupapa I’m part of.
3. What is your role and responsibility as the representative of your rohe on the Te Hau Kōmaru Board?
My role and responsibility is to ensure that Tāmaki Makaurau has the opportunity to support the vision and mahi of the Te Hau Kōmaru National Waka Hourua Charitable Trust.
4. What do you hope to achieve for kaupapa waka in your role?
I hope to see kaupapa waka continue to grow and elevate throughout Aotearoa, building off of the incredible legacy of our voyaging tūpuna and those who have worked hard throughout Te Moananui ā Kiwa to revitalise this artform over the last 50 plus years, so that it would never become lost to our tamariki mokopuna. Nō mātou te reanga o te nāianei te marenganui. Nō reira, me haere tonu, kia tū tonu ngā kaupapa waka mō ngā uri whakaheke.