The second wananga for Maori surfers was completed in Tauranga Moana (Mt Maunganui) last weekend 12 -13 September. The first wananga was held in Raglan on the 22  - 23rd August and with one wananga remaining a noticeable improvement in individual performances is starting to emerge. Surfing New Zealand in partnership with Te Puni Kokiri are providing a select group of 12 - 16 year old Maori Surfers the opportunity to attend the wananga to improve and  develop their competitive surfing skills. The coaching and mentoring that each rangatahi receives will assist them with becoming better athletes.

"Each wananga consists of visual, theory and practical lessons that are designed for the rangatahi to increase their awareness of what is needed to reach their goals as a competitive surfer", said Surfing NZ Kaiwhakahaere Maori Steve Ria. "The rangatahi are learning that there is more to being a toa (champion) than just having the desire or relying on natural ability. They have shown a lot of enthusiasm toward the information and knowledge that Michael Fitzharris (Ngati Ma/Ngati Pakeha) and Daniel Proctor (Ngati Uepohatu) have been showing them and with time, practise and application I am sure they will eventually reach their goals".

"The Mount provided me with the right surf conditions to do my assessments", said head coach Michael Fitzharris. "Small onshore wind swell conditions on day one had each surfer working really hard on their performance levels. Onshore conditions bring out the worst in a surfer and this is when they really need to assess themselves. Proc and I can help them find solutions that will benefit them when confronted with conditions outside of their comfort zone. The majority of contests are held in marginal conditions and if they want to be successful they need to know and be prepared to surf what is on offer not what they would prefer to surf. I am pleased with the improvements I have seen since the first wananga in Raglan and I was delighted to hear that three rangatahi had made finals at the Raglan Academy  School Championships and two had made the finals at the Ocean and Earth grommet event held in Taranaki.
I am also pleased that five members from the group have since been selected for the New Zealand Junior Squad. Ben Kennings Surfing New Zealand's team selector is  running a squad training on the 19th and 20th of September and we are hopeful that some, or all of our five members make the final team. Being selected for the squad is a  bonus but making the final team will be another level of discipline and commitment and they will need to step up to. Regardless of whether they make the team or not they  still need to focus on the final wananga so that their journey is complete and Proc and I have achieved our goals of providing them with the tools and knowledge to help them  to keep improving".

"Our main focus for each wananga is to help the rangatahi to be the best that they can be", said assistant coach Daniel Proctor (Ngati Uepohatu). We have taught them to manage and self assess their performances which is one of the key components that an athlete should adopt to help address any instances that may hinder them from achieving their goals.
During this wananga they have learnt heat strategies, the scoring potential of a wave, the judging criteria and what judges look for, observation of the contest arena, information that a score sheet can provide and the functions and operations of a contest. They have enough knowledge to plan for their next event and put into practise what they have learnt from both wananga. Most will be attending the Rip Curl GromSearch in  Gisborne on the 3 - 4 October. Our next wananga is on the 5 - 6 of October and Fitzy and I will go over with them their self assessment that they would have done during the event. Our job is to pinpoint and help them recognise what worked and what didn't work so that they can avoid making the same mistakes. They have become more confident and have a better understanding of their taha Maori as well and I know it is helping them learn about themselves as a competitor. It is  important for us to maintain and preserve our Moaritanga and delivering the wananga on the Marae lets them participate and witness the various kawa and tikanga that is  evident in a Maori environment.