Every member of each gold medal winning crew at the 2010 World Rowing Championships will receive a unique Maori greenstone taonga (treasure) at the official medal ceremony.
The specially carved greenstone pounamu, commissioned by local iwi Ngati Koroki Kahukura, were designed and carved by renowned Maori artists Lewis Gardiner and Thomas Ratima. See the pounamu and the carving process on YouTube:
It is believed that this is the first time pounamu have been awarded in this way at a major international sporting event in New Zealand.
The pounamu, carved into the shape of a Maori waka (canoe) paddle, will be awarded to the 2010 world champions at the same time as they receive their FISA gold medal.
"When the athletes are gifted these taonga, I hope they take away a big part of New Zealand Maori culture," says Gardiner.
The intricate binding at the top of each pounamu represents the hard work, strength and dedication of the athlete.
At total of 90 pounamu will be presented to the champions in the 27 different boat classes at the World Championships.
In Maori culture, a pounamu is treasured, valuable and holds spiritual significance. It is customary for the pounamu to be blessed before wearing. A pounamu is believed to absorb the mana, or spiritual power, of its wearer. Suspended from thin leather or plaited flax, it is traditionally worn around the neck, level with the cavity where the collarbones meet above the chest.
The 2010 World Rowing Championships (30 October – 7 November) is the biggest international sporting event in NZ since the 1990 Commonwealth Games with 700+ athletes from 50+ countries expected to compete.
The Championships were last staged in NZ, also at Lake Karapiro, in 1978. This will be only the third World Rowing Championships to be held in the southern hemisphere.
