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Friday 2 August 2024
Outriggers race at Tata
Onetahua Waka Ama Club's mixed crew power home in the Winter Series race at Tata Beach last Sunday. Photo: Jo Richards. JO RICHARDS
Waka ama crews from Nelson, Motueka and Golden Bay met at Tata Beach last Sunday morning for the second round of the Interclub Winter Series competition. Hosts Onetahua Waka Ama Club were joined by paddlers from Motueka Waka Ama Club and Maitahi Outrigger Canoe Club but the prospect of wet and windy conditions kept the competition’s other two clubs away. By 8.30am a small, but colourful collection of outrigger canoes (OCs) was lined up on the sandy beach ready for action. The fleet of boats included single-seaters (OC1), doubles (OC2) and six-person (OC6) craft. Defying the doom-mongers, the sea conditions were close to ideal for waka racing: Like liquid silver, the flat, calm water merged horizonless into the grey sky. Light drizzle fell softly and silently, slowly dampening everything but the paddlers’ spirits.
Racing got underway at around 8.45am with Men’s and Women’s OC1s and OC2s padding the 4km course, which took them out to and around Tata Islands, across Ligar Bay towards Abel Tasman Memorial before rounding a marker buoy and heading back to the beach. To ensure that all boats remained visible through the mist, the course had been shortened slightly. Kilmeny Stephens from Maitahi Club has over 12 years’ experience in waka ama but on this occasion was providing onshore support and was happy just to be in the Bay. “It’s always lovely to come over here.” Watching the crews heading out to Tata Islands she explained that the “low impact” sport is accessible to people of all ages, adding that a Masters 70 women’s crew from her club were heading to Hawai’i later in the month for the Waka Ama World Sprint Championships. “Ruby's are inspirational women.”
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All subsequent races – men/women, mixed gender, and mixed club – featured OC6 vessels and followed the same 4km course. Being the only women’s OC6 crew at Tata, the Onetahua six launched their boat knowing that they would finish first, but still paddled hard. Long-time member of Onetahua’s women’s squad Marian Milne said they were “going well” and keeping up with the training. “We’re going out regularly over winter.” She explained that, even though after-work sessions end in darkness, the “joy of paddling” meant it was still enjoyable to be out on the water. “The last two Tuesday nights have been lovely.” After the last crew had returned to the beach at the end of the final race, paddlers, supporters and spectators warmed up with hot soup and fresh coffee before packing up and heading home. The next round in the Winter Series is being held at Picton on Sunday 18 August.
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Netsafe NZ is tasked with monitoring and tackling online scams. They report that cybercrime cost New Zealand a shocking $6.6 million from January–March 2024. They recommend that people not be ashamed to report scams, seek help to recover losses, and always take a moment to verify that they are not being deceived. Scams increasingly target unsuspecting victims via phone and online platforms. Scammers often pose as official representatives, claiming to have news of an inheritance from a long-lost relative. The old adage, “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is,” remains relevant. Friendly phone callers frequently offer to help fix computers, often calling at inconvenient times to catch people off guard. I recently told one such caller that they would be better off using their time for positive purposes, rather than trying to swindle innocent people out of their hardearned money. His response was neither calm nor polite, as he unleashed a torrent of abuse before hanging up. Typically, I am the one who ends the call. While some scam emails are easy to spot due to odd words, spelling errors, or random email addresses, others are more sophisticated, using logos and professional language. For instance, I found an email from “Amy” offering “pet supplies” from the address “z23v9f” sent at 4.24am. More cunning scammers create emails that look reputable. I once received emails supposedly from NZTA, informing me that my vehicle registration was due. I became so adept at deleting these that I missed a genuine message from NZTA and was fined for overdue registration. Phishing involves scammers attempting to steal sensitive information for their benefit. Banks advise customers to “stay alert, proactive and protected” as “Kiwis lost $198 million to scammers last year”. Often, they impersonate trusted individuals or businesses to trick targets into sharing details, usually with a sense of urgency. The bank’s advice is to “take a sec to check” and question whether the communication is real. Clues include stilted language, misspelled addresses, or emails sent at odd times, like 2.04am. Last week, Rural Women (RW) head office called me about a phishing scam targeting RW members. The scam email appeared to come from a familiar source, using the names of known women. The scammer starts, “I’m going into a meeting, are you... Continued on page 2
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