Kia haumaru ai, ngā tangata tai.
At Waitā Freediving, we bring iwi, hapū, and whānau together to deepen their relationship with the moana so that they can gather kaimoana and return home safely.
Discover MoreMō Mātau
Waitā (Wai: Water, Tā: Salt) is the sixth star of the Matariki star cluster. It represents connection to the ocean and all its aspects — from the tides to the many types of food gathered from it. A bright Waitā signifies a bountiful year for food gathering.
Aotearoa has a profound relationship with Tangaroa (the ocean), reflected both in geography and whakapapa (genealogy). While more than 75% of New Zealanders live close to the coast, for Māori, the moana has long been our kete kai (food basket), providing sustenance for iwi, hapū, and whānau. This enduring reliance has fostered a deep emotional and spiritual connection, expressed through kaitiakitanga — a reciprocal responsibility to protect and respect the ocean for the life it sustains
Māori gatherers continue this tradition by harvesting kaimoana (seafood) for their whānau and communities, often in challenging conditions and sometimes with limited training and equipment. Their role extends beyond food provision, they are holders and transmitters of mātauranga (knowledge), offering valuable insights into the health of the ocean through their lived observations. Ocean-based food gathering carries real risks, with preventable diving-related injuries and fatalities occurring each year due to factors such as inadequate training, poor water skills, and equipment issues
Waitā exists to address these challenges by partnering with iwi, hapū and whānau to strengthen kaitiakitanga and mahinga kaimoana through safe freediving practices. As a Māori-led, tikanga-guided organisation, Waitā is focused on protecting lives while nurturing and equipping the next generation of Māori ocean gatherers.
Te Āhua o ā Mātau Mahi
Waitā works directly with Māori Authorities to deliver freediving wānanga grounded in tikanga. Our programmes equip gatherers with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to dive safely — combining modern freediving techniques with mātauranga Māori.
From initial kōrero through to in-water training and ongoing support, every step is designed in partnership with your community.
Ngā Pou Ako
Ngāti Toa Rangatira · Ngāti Tama · Te Ātiawa ki Whakarongotai · Ngāti Koata
Born and raised in Takapūwāhia, Caleb is a passionate diver who grew up exploring and protecting the coastlines of Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington) as an iwi diver for Ngāti Toa. He sits on the board of Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira and is the current Chair of Toa Kairuku Dive Club, delivering wānanga and programmes focused on getting whānau into the moana safely. Caleb has worked alongside Victoria University, NIWA, and ESR on marine monitoring projects, combining mātauranga Māori and science to protect our marine environments.
Ngāi te Rangi · Ngāti Ranginui · Te Arawa
Rangi grew up diving in Tauranga Moana and is passionate about gathering and teaching safe freediving practices, having mentored many local tāne and wāhine within his hapū communities. He feels most at home diving throughout the moutere (islands) surrounding Tauranga Moana, including Mōtītī, where his whānau (Ngāti Whakahemo) still reside as kaitiaki. Rangi participates in environmental monitoring at Ōtaiti (Astrolabe Reef) and serves as a Trustee for Ngāti Ranginui and a Director of Ngāti Ranginui Fisheries Trust.
Ngāti Porou · Ngāti Kahungunu
Rā is a waterman, educator, and community provider guided by his whakapapa and a deep connection to te moana. He dedicates his life to empowering others through freediving, spearfishing, and self-sustainability — not just as skills, but as pathways back to identity, purpose, and the land. Operating across the East Coast and beyond, Rā delivers grassroots programmes that uplift whānau and reconnect them with kai-gathering traditions. His mission: to restore connection to self, whakapapa, and te taiao — and to feed the people, body and soul.
“We protect our Moana and respect it for the sustenance it provides.” — Waitā Freediving
Ngā Reo Tautatoko
“Waitā gave Te Rūnanga Nui o Te Aupōuri an opportunity to learn the foundations of freediving in a te ao Māori space that is culturally relevant, safe, and responsive to all of us regardless of our experience levels.”
“The curriculum includes standard freediving principles, but also focuses on what we value the most which is being able to gather kai for our whānau, our marae, and our iwi while also looking after our moana.”
Pou Whakarae (CEO), Te Rūnanga Nui o Te Aupōuri
“The History of Rotoiti 15 Trust spans the past 60 years, however the connection to the whenua, roto and moana spans much deeper. Our inextricable link to Rotoiti has been maintained from Ngatoroirangi to Kahumatamomoe and Ihenga; to the people of Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Tarāwhai and Ngāti Rongomai; Our whakapapa to whenua, roto and moana is indivisible to who we are.”
“The Waitā experience allowed uri and kaimahi to express our connection to wai while also providing an opportunity to build on our technical skill in the water. Our investment into this kaupapa was about up-skilling our people and ultimately their safety.”
General Manager, Rotoiti 15 Trust
“What stood out most was the genuine manaaki shown by the Waitā kaimahi to our uri. From the moment they arrived, our uri were supported in a way that was culturally grounded, safe, and uplifting. The instructors created an environment where our uri felt encouraged, protected, and confident to grow, not just as divers, but as kaitiaki.”
“The care, patience and aroha demonstrated throughout the programme reflected values that strongly align with Tūaropaki, and we are grateful for the way our uri were nurtured and strengthened through this experience. They now feel safer and more confident in the water.”
General Manager, Tūaropaki Trust
“He taonga tēnei kaupapa, Te Haumarutanga wānanga nā Waitā. I tae atu mātou hei kairuku mō ō mātou whānau, mō ngā marae, mō ngā kaumātua. I hoki mai mātou me te māramatanga hōhonu ake. ”
“I tīmata ki te hā, kia tau ai te wairua, kia tau ai te hinengaro. Kātahi ka tuku karakia i mua i te kuhunga atu ki te parawhenuamea. I reira ka tohaina te mātauranga me te aroha, me pēhea te nekeneke pai i roto i te moana, me pēhea te tiaki i a tātou anō i raro i te wai, me pēhea hoki te kohi kai i runga i te whakaaro toitū.”
“Engari, ehara i te mea he pūkenga ruku anake. I whakapakarihia hoki tō mātou here ki a tātou anō, me tō mātou kaitiakitanga o te moana. Nāku te rourou, nāu te rourou, ka ora ai te iwi. Ngā mihi maioha ki te whānau o Waitā”
Pou Taiao, Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Ranginui
Ā Mātau Hoa Haere
Hono Mai
We work with iwi, hapū, and Māori organisations to deliver safe freediving wānanga. If your organisation is interested in partnering with Waitā, fill out the form below and we'll be in touch.
