The Waka Ama Secondary School Nationals will return for 2023 at Lake Tikitapu, Rotorua, next week.

The week-long event will bring more than 1500 rangatahi/youth from 105 kura/schools from all around New Zealand, after a year off in 2022 due to covid restrictions.

The event, organised by Te Waiariki Purea Trust with support from Waka Ama NZ, will see rangatahi participate in 163 events in W1, W6, and W12 races across two age groups for wāhine and tāne throughout the four days of racing.

The 2023 event will be the 21st year of the Secondary School Nationals, the first event was held in 2002 at Ōrākei Basin.

The event will begin with a pōwhiri at 8am Tuesday, March 28, at Lake Tikitapu, and shortly after a full day of W1 and W12 racing will kick start the event.

The three different divisions named after parts of the waka, Te Ihu, Te Takere, Te Kei, will allow rangatahi more participation opportunities throughout the event as they move through the progressions.

"We are really excited to have our rangatahi from across Aotearoa come together again to participate in this event," says Waka Ama NZ CEO, Lara Collins.

"We are looking forward to the racing on the water as well as the whanaungatanga off the water. It is going to be an awesome week!

"This week our waka ama and Te Waiariki Purea Trust whānau will also remember Laurie Durand who sadly passed nearly one year ago. Laurie was a staunch supporter of the event and this event is just one of his many legacies for rangatahi."

The remainder of the week from Wednesday onwards will be W6 250m and 500m racing from heats, semis, and through to finals day on Friday.

Additionally, the Secondary School Super 6 Kapa Haka event will take place 6pm Thursday, March 30, at the Rotorua Night Markets, where participating schools will perform a six minute kapa haka bracket.

There will be two taonga awarded at the final prize giving.

The Putu Mihaka Trophy is awarded to the school that displays manaaki, awhi, and an overall positive attitude throughout the event.

This award pays homage to the late Te Putuangaanga (Putu) Mihaka nō Ngāti Pikiao, a strong advocate of rangatahi Māori and a huge supporter of the waka community.

The newly introduced trophy, Te Tohu Tautokohia, will be awarded to the school that displays tautoko to others and the event.

Te Tohu Tautokohia pays homage to the late Laurie Durand, a stalwart of Te Waiariki Purea Trust, Waka Ama, and the National Secondary School Event.

The Waka Ama Secondary School Nationals is a free event for all whānau to come down and watch our rangatahi paddle on Lake Tikitapu.