Te Taitokerau Tārai Waka have sold their traditional-waka at the price of $100,000.
The traditional waka known as a waka-tēte built by tohunga-tārai waka Hekenukumai Busby was auctioned to raise funds for the school of traditional navigation at Aurere in Doubtless Bay.
Hekenukumai Busby says, "It's gonna help us get our Whare Wānanga completed which will help continue teaching our students to learn more about celestial navigation."
Whangarei charter school Te Kāpehu Whetū Principal Dr Nathan Mathews says the waka was bought by its sponsor He Puna Mārama Trust and will be used as part of the school’s hauora programme.
“It’ll help towards traditional navigation and mātauranga Māori” says Dr Mathews.
The official hand-over of the waka-tēte will take place tomorrow on Anzac day, but before that happens the school which houses more than 110 students will be having its badging of new cadets into its Leadership Academy of A Company.
Dr Mathews says it’s a ceremony very similar to a military parade where cadets are presented to their whānau and are officially given the academy-tohu to wear. “As part of the badging parade, current cadets are eligible for promotion within military type ranks,” says Dr Mathews.
The badging ceremony will take place this afternoon at the Te Kāpehu Whetū campus in Whangarei and the official launch of their new waka-tēte will take place tomorrow in Aurere, Doubtless Bay. Senior Reporter Heeni Brown will have more on Te Kāea 5:30pm.