Waka Voyaging in Aotearoa - Revitalisation Efforts and Progress

Two leaders in the revitalisation efforts of mātauranga waka hourua in Aotearoa come together to reflect on the remarkable revival of an almost lost practice. Stan Conrad, Matakura and captain of Te Aurere, the first waka hourua made in Aotearoa of the 20th century, and Hoturoa Barclay-Kerr, Matakura and founder of the Te Toki Voyaging Trust, have each played pivotal roles in restoring the practice of traditional Pacific navigation in Aotearoa.

In this panel discussion, they’ll share how the resurgence of celestial navigation and deep-sea voyaging has reshaped the identity and understanding of the Māori people in modern Aotearoa. Driven by their lived experience, the conversation traces their steady, determined efforts to re-establish waka hourua traditions and practices to our waters while sharing their vision of succession.

Hoturoa Barclay-Kerr CMNZ CRNZ 

Tainui Waka

Hoturoa is the son of Wharetoroa and Ngaurungatapu Kerr, is married to Kim and has five children: Namaka, Turanga, Rangiiria, Noenoe and Hinemanu, with many mokopuna. Hoturoa has been sailing around the Pacific for more than forty years. He paddles waka, sails waka, teaches waka.

Hoturoa grew up with his numerous elders who nurtured and cared for him on the many marae of Waikato. He is a native Māori speaker and spent the first six years of his life in Rūātoki, where his parents taught at the Rūātoki District High School and only speaking te reo Māori. Hoturoa recalls how the children laughed and mocked him for his inability to speak English when he started school in Auckland.

He was educated at Onehunga High School and went on to study for a BA at the University of Auckland, and a Masters at Waikato University. His Master’s thesis investigated how the waka is a symbol of mana in the twenty-first century. He was a lecturer at Waikato University for over nineteen years. More recently he has specialised in education and leadership programmes that use the waka as a platform for learning and development.

Hoturoa is an orator on his marae at Kāwhia, the home of Haunui and the many other waka of Te Toki Voyaging Trust, and is the ancient landing and settlement place of his ancestral waka, Tainui and his ancestor Hoturoa.

Stanley Conrad

Stanley “Stan” Conrad is a descendant from Te Aupōuri. A father, teacher and student, Stan has dedicated his life to the revitalisation and practice of waka knowledge here in Aotearoa. At age 22, he was the only Māori crew member aboard the 1985 Hōkūleʻa voyage from Rarotonga to Aotearoa — a journey that has played a pivotal role in driving his interest to re-establish voyaging and traditional navigation practices.

During this voyage Stan was exposed to the skills of sailing and navigation on a waka hourua, he was taught to understand the teachings of his tūpuna through lived experience that have since shaped his view of traditional seafaring knowledge.

Stan went on to captain the Māori voyaging canoe Te Aurere, leading significant voyages including its 1992 maiden voyage to Rarotonga, and later journeys around Aotearoa and across the Pacific. Through his leadership and teaching, Stan has been integral to the resurgence of waka culture and navigation in Aotearoa, helping to establish a living tradition that trains new generations.