Having gone through the waka allocation process for the first time for Waka te Tasman we learned a few things about what works and what does not work. There’s going to be a lot more competition for club waka for Tuna e Hoe, particularly as we have such high levels of interest from North Island clubs.
So here’s a run down of how things will work :
- Entries to the race are open now. You can register your intention to use a club waka right now and put in a request for the waka you would prefer to use. You can also fill in your entry form and pay (whole crew entries only please, not individual crew member payments)
- On 8th January those crews that have requested a waka AND paid their entry fee will be allocated a waka for their race(s)
- Anyone paying later than that date has far less chance of using a club waka for their race(s)
So, what’s changed from how we trialled things for WTT ? We couldn’t really get the ‘first to pay’ process to work without a whole load of aggravation for crews paying and the Treasurer trying to keep an eye on when payments were made. So, there’s now simply a date (8th January) where we will decide on allocation of waka to paid entries. That gives us time to talk to crews who have requested the same waka for the same race and try to come to an agreement on who uses what and if that can’t be resolved we will resort to the impartial coin toss.
It would save a world of pain for organisers if club crews do not enter late but if that happens and all club waka have already been allocated we will attempt to source and pay for another waka from one of our visiting clubs.
Its never too early or too late to start paddling waka ama
We always welcome new members to the Maitahi Outrigger Canoe Club.
We have social and racing waka ama crews catering for a wide variety of ages and abilities.