Waka ama plays a vital role in the lives and health of Māori and Pacific communities. It's one of the many ways our communities to maintain a connection to our taiao (natural environment).

Whakaata Māori and their audience research arm, Kōrero approached Nui to manage their activation at the 7 day tournament. Our goal: to engage as many of the whānau present at Karapiro during the Waka Ama Sprint National Championships and capture the role that waka ama plays in their lives.

From day one our tent was pumping with tamariki and rangatahi through to nannies and koroua joining in the fun. There was plenty to do, from outdoor games, an erg machine competition, a printed photo booth, and a live broadcast of the races so we could see all the action.

The result?

• A high energy, welcoming activation which solidified the Whakaata Māori brand as grounded, present and a true reflection of it's audience.
• Promotional integration with the TV Show Lucky Dip.
• Over 300 entries into the waka ama erg race competition (prize: one of three paddles).
• Over 3,000 branded Whakaata Māori merchandise prizes given away.
• Key content pieces that were broadcast on Whakaata Māori and within their corporate communications, post-event.
• An annual audience research strategy combining quantitative event-based feedback and wānanga gathering qualitative data around the way forward for Whakaata Māori.

‍