One day a waka for every marae: A southern approach to Maori water safety

Kaupapa waka [the purpose of canoe] has a significant role in contributing to the survival and well being of our culture and people. The ocean was once the highway and playground of our tūpuna (ancestors) who traversed the greatest seas and overcame the many challenges that they faced, to seek a life out for us now the living descendants of exceptional explorers, of way finding and sea faring (Personal communication, Kelly Harrison, 2014). We are the whānau (families) from Hauteruruku ki.