He rangatahi Māori e eke tangaroa ana i te whakataetae Tiaki Tai o Te Tairāwhiti ki Tūranganui a Kiwa. Kei tō mātau karere i te Tairāwhiti.

Ko Jack Keepa te kauhoe toa i te reanga raro iho i te tekau mā ono tau.

“Feels amazing I know there are some tough boys they're all so quick and I just had to stay with them and hope for the waves on the way home”, tā Keepa.

I a ia e whakamārama ana i te wheako ko tāna, “I just used my skills going under the waves on the way out, coming in I was just hoping for a wave and just looking trying to hold them to the beach which is really important”.

Kei te tutū ngā ngaru o te moana ki Tūranganui, ka mutu, neke atu i te kotahi rau tāngata e mātaki ana i tēnei o ngā hui ā tau.

Hei tā Kiahi Horan o Tuhoe, “There aren't a lot of Māori in the sport which is a shame but I think we'd do really well if we all get it together and come on down and give it a go”.

Ko tā Ava Smith o Ngāti Porou o Rongowhakaata, “I've just been doing it since I was little because we live by the ocean and so we've just been doing it since we were little groms and it's really fun hanging with mates and meeting new people”.

Tekau mā rima tau te pakeke o Ava Smith, kāre ia e wehi i ngā ngaru, otirā, he pai ki a ia te whakataetae ki ngā wai nui.

“Just the waves it's more fun, I can't go in the flat because it's so hard you have to be really fit, so the eaves are definitely the best”, te kī a Ava Smith.

Hei tā Jack Keepa he huarahi tēnei e tū kaha tū tika ai te rangatahi Māori.

“It's good to see I reckon there's more and more Māori coming into the sport and it's real good for it, us as Māori we love the ocean and anything in the water so it'll be good”, te kī a Keepa.

Arā, tekau mā whā noa iho ōna tau, he wawata nui kei mua i a ia i tēnei hākinakina.

“Hopefully do some racing in Australia, mix it with the big boys and just keep striving”, te kī  Keepa.

Hei āpōpō tū ai te whakataetae ā rohe ki Tūranganui.