Pete Cowan on his 13-year journey to the Paralympics after being hit by a car, and why Hawke’s Bay’s now a centre of para-paddling excellence

“Even though I’m in the boat by myself, I’ve got a huge team on my shoulders who have got me here,” he said.

“Every time I compete, I want to do them justice and make them proud.”

Cowan was 17 when he was asked to attend a waka ama training session with his mates at Hastings Boys’ High School. He was initially hesitant, after previously being a rugby player.

“It was the first time I had taken up any type of [water] sport, so yes, I had a lot of courage to kind of get in there and a bit of curiosity as well,” he said.

“It brought a huge sense of hope and purpose, it was refreshing. After being sidelined for a few years and not sure what my future held, it was a big moment.”

When dealing with his injuries initially, he credited ACC with helping him start his life again and progress in his passion.

He said his sport was “so much more than just putting a paddle in the water” and that the constant effort and sacrifice by his whānau made it even more special for him and them.

In May, Cowan qualified for a spot for New Zealand in the VL3 200m when he achieved a remarkable milestone in his paddling career. He won silver in the Para va’a at the ICF Para Canoe World Championships in Szeged, Hungary.

In the thrilling VL3 200m final, Cowan finished just 0.071 seconds behind Ukraine’s Vladyslav Yepifanov – setting up an exciting showdown in Paris.

“My coach and I went into those world champs with a game plan to race consistently and with precision. We just wanted to race three great races,” Cowan said.

“Winning silver sent positive waves through our team and wider support group. We are proud to see our efforts bringing forth some awesome results like that and I feel it’s inspired everyone else to work hard towards Paris.”

Cowan’s coach, Myk Nuku, and Nuku’s wife Roni are heavily involved in the Hawke’s Bay para-paddling scene.

While Myk heads to Paris with Cowan, Roni is taking another talented Adaptive Waka Ama group to Hawaii as the NZ coach for the Para Mixed team, which is competing in the Waka Ama Worlds in Hilo in a few weeks.

Roni was introduced to Waka Ama about 25 years ago in Wellington and was able to continue when she and her husband moved back to Hawke’s Bay and got involved in Haeata Waka Ama in Napier.

The pair’s passion for Para-coaching developed after they worked with a whanau member in a wheelchair who previously loved water sports.

“We just said, ‘hey, jump in’, and he loved it so much. He was the one who bought us into it, and we’ve grown our [adaptive waka ama] passion from there.

“Once you’re part of [the adaptive] family, you’re always a part of their family.”

Roni said the team was meeting “all their goals” in the lead-up to the competition and was excited to compete.

“We’ve got a new steerer these years who has gone from strength to strength, so we are really excited about where they are at.

“They want it, they are hungry, and they’ve worked themselves really hard. If anything, I’ve noticed the harder they work, the fiercer they are than our non-impaired athletes.”

She said the most rewarding thing about coaching adaptive was seeing the respect given to the coaching and management teams.

“They appreciate our time, so everything they do is a way of giving back to us. There’s a reciprocal aroha there.

“They also remind us to be grateful for what we have, enjoy life, and not take life too seriously. They are all around beautiful people.”

Mitchell Hageman joined Hawke’s Bay Today in January 2023. From his Napier base, he writes regularly on social issues, arts and culture, and the community. He has a particular love for stories about ordinary people doing extraordinary things.