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World class paddler gives back

June 24, 2013

Life for EIT Tairāwhiti student liaison administrator Kiwi Campbell is all about giving back.

And the waka ama world champ recently took a slice of her world back to her roots.

Ms Campbell, with the help of a few others, took her Horouta club’s double hull waka to Lake Waikaremoana for the people of Tuai to try their hand at this popular sport.

The weekend-long wananga was part of the EIT Tairāwhiti Adult Community Education Programme and attracted more than 100 people to Waimako Marae.

“I wanted to come home to give and share my knowledge of waka ama,” said Ms Campbell, who was born and raised in Tuai.

The good news is that the community have embraced it and moves are afoot to start a club.

“It was a very positive outcome and it’s nice to be able to give back to the iwi who have been so supportive of me.”

An added bonus to the wananga was a greater understanding of nutrition that many on the course gained.

“I want them to succeed and the key thing is to ensure that we have developed the youth while also giving the older ones some goals.”

The Tuai community already has two waka for training.

Ms Campbell has paddled competitively all over the world, with the World Sprint Waka Ama Champs in Brazil in 2014 the next big target.