Paralympic bronze medalist presented with his medal at the Waka Ama Sprint Championships Photo: Copyright 2025 WakaAma NZ
To move a waka forward you pull with your arms and push with your legs, but for some it's a little bit trickier.
Miimama Pepe, Ben Hekenui, George Thomas, and Peter Cowan prove that their disability is no barrier to competing in waka ama.
Peter Cowan first picked up a paddle in 2012, not to compete, but to get moving on the water.
"It's been over 10 years now and I haven't regretted doing that," he said.
Waka ama wasn't his first choice of sport, but after being clipped by a car while training for a triathlon, his injuries led him to make the life-changing decision of amputating his right leg above the knee.
Now, competing in the premier men's division for Haeata Ocean Sports Club in Napier and has represented New Zealand on the world stage winning the World Va'a Sprint championships twice.
Para va'a is an adaptive version of waka ama, globally known as outrigger canoe. It was introduced as a Paralympic sport in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic games in 2021.
Cowan, of Māori-Samoan descent, has been chasing the chance to wear the fern at the Paralympics - he qualified for the Paris 2024 Paralympic games and returned to New Zealand with a bronze medal.
"That was just the highlight of my journey, first being able to qualify to be a Paralympian but also go through that process to actually go to the Games is a dream come true for me and my whānau."
"And us as a sport, it's not in the Olympics yet - it's the closest thing to it - so it was a huge honour and privilege to be able to go out there and do that for our people."
But for Cowan, home is where the heart is.
Photo: Copyright 2025 WakaAma NZ
"Wakaama Sprint Nationals, you know, Lake Karapiro, it's the home of our sprints. There's no atmosphere like it and I say that quite a lot, it's unmatched. The energy and the wairua that is here at this lake, whānau orientated event, and it just doesn't get any better than that."
From 12- 18 January 12, Lake Karapiro is hosting their biggest contingent of keen waka paddlers.
"I've been to a few regattas around the world, and I'm not being biased, but nothing comes close to how we do it back home."
He said the sport is special - especially from a cultural lens.
"We get to celebrate who we are as Aotearoa New Zealanders and this comes off our culture and being able to share the water and connect with the environment, I think it's something special."
The 29-year-old encourages anyone and everyone to give waka ama a go.
"[Waka ama has] grown every year. The more exposure we get for disabilities to take up something beautiful like waka ama, the better."
"There's no better platform than at the Paralympic games so, my biggest hope for the future is to get more people involved, not only in the sport but in our division."
On Wednesday, Cowan flew through two straight finals in the adaptive VL3 category, however, his boat weighed too light after the 200m race, and he was stripped of the title. He still was crowned the champ for the VL3 500m race.
His opposition's chuffed to have paddled against the Paralympian, as well as take to the podium.
Miimama Pepe was the second paddler to cross the finish line in yesterday's races.
"I tried my best to huss huss... but it didn't work," Pepe said.
Pepe is a 'level two or three' paraplegic relying heavily on his arms to push him forward.
Photo: Copyright 2025 WakaAma NZ
"There's always a way, you always find a way."
He said his only concern on the water is the wind.
Meanwhile, Ben Hekenui is a double leg amputee and is pretty fresh to the sport despite paddling in the New Zealand para team alongside Pepe.
He said the W6 (Six-man vessel) is different to the single.
"We strap into a six man, we don't strap up in singles."
That's because the W1, or V1 is more likely to tip - if para-athletes were to tip in the water while strapped in, the risk of being stuck under water is significantly higher.
"We're also [sitting] lower in a single. Once we slip of the seat in a six man it's harder to get back up."
For perspective, if both Hekenui and Pepe were to fall out of their wheelchair, it takes a lot of effort to get back up - just like in a W6 waka, he said
Both Hekenui (Taranaki) and Pepe (Manukau) go head-to-head in the 50+ division for their club teams while George Thomas takes on the 60+ division for Ruamata.
Catch the live action on Whakaata Māori.
