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Regional | Disability

Black Adapts leave disabilities at the dock

One waka ama squad is breaking the mould and overcoming disability to represent their country. The New Zealand Adapative Squad or the Black Adapts as they like to be called, have their sights set firmly on the world champs.

They come to training with all different kinds of disabilities, but on the water they're all on an even keel.

“At the world champs they blindfold the visually impaired paddlers to make us all even because some are blind some can see a bit so yeah they blindfold us all with visors,” says Paddler AJ MacDonald.

They call themselves the Black Adapts and many of them are first timers to the sport.

Fellow paddlers Ahuriri Houkamou shared how their name came about, “I named us that, just having a bit of fun but it's kind of stuck and we actually like being known as the Black Adapts.”

“They're a bunch of misfits, they're cheeky as hell, they give each other rib all the time and that's the comaraderie of being a team,” says Coach Roni Nuku.

Once in a wheelchair, the oldest on the team Valentine Irwin has now ditched his chair, “It’s fantastic getting to nationals now twice and then from nationals they said let’s put a New Zealand team in.”

And here he is, with a determined bunch who train both on and off the water.

“They are amazing, despite all their ailments and challenges you never ever hear anyone complain,” says Houkamou.

They've set up a Give a Little Page to help raise the thousands of dollars needed to get them to the world competition in May this year.