About
Vector Wero Whitewater Park is a world class tourism destination that engages our communities and youth. It is New Zealand's first facility to offer an artificial river and water course for recreation, sports, and emergency services training, school programmes and youth development.
It is a pinnacle stage within the collection of facilities which includes the Due Drop Events Centre and the Sir Noel Robinson Conference Centre.
About Us
The white water park is developed and operated on behalf of the community by Waka Pacific Trust which reinvests the corporate dollars into educational and community programmes – building a stronger community and everybody wins.
For the Waka Pacific Trust Board of Trustees and Vector Wero's Management Team, click here.
Community Good
Waka Pacific Trust inherently believes in ‘achieve’. We are driven to achieve meaningful difference for our community, evidenced through a culture of setting goals every day, following through and putting power where we want it.
We believe that everyone can, and has the right to, achieve - whether it be one small step or many very remarkable ones. One step leads to the next on any scale.
Our Trust’s facilities and programmes are designed and delivered to share and instil this culture into the youth of the wider community so that setting goals, following through and achieving.
To learn more about our mission and work, download our Community Good Report 2023 click here.
Patron
Ian Ferguson MBE is the Patron of Vector Wero. He is New Zealand's most successful Olympian, competing in K1, K2, and K4 kayak events. He first competed at the Montreal, Canada Olympic Games in 1976 and again at Moscow, Russia Olympic Games in 1980.
In 1984, Ian won three gold medals at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles. In the same year, he was named New Zealand sportsperson of the year.
In the 1985 New Year Honours, he was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire for services to canoeing.
He was New Zealand's flagbearer at the opening ceremony of the 1988 Summer Olympics and went on to win another gold medal and a silver medal at that Olympic Games in Seoul, Korea.
He was the first New Zealander to compete in five Olympic Games and his four gold medals are still the New Zealand record for an individual haul at the Games. His five Olympic medals is the record for the most Olympic medals won by a New Zealander, a record he shares with fellow canoeist Paul MacDonald, and equestrian Mark Todd.
Design
Vector Wero Whitewater Park was developed using best practice in the world.
Whitewater Parks International (WPI) was the design brain-power behind New Zealand’s first and only artificial white water facility. WPI has worked on Penrith Whitewater Stadium, Lee Valley Whitewater Stadium and the Rio Olympic Whitewater Stadium.
At Czech Technical University of Prague, the world’s preeminent research facility for water movement, a scale model was built to test and fine-tune the design, ensuring the grade 3 river meets international standards.
A tamer grade 2 river is included to make the park accessible to youth, weekend warriors, corporates and anyone keen to have a crack at rafting, kayaking and even stand up paddleboarding (SUP).
The large pond (9,000m2) is used for water confidence skills and sport.
Qualified River Raft and Kayaking Guides
Your safety is at the forefront of our team.
Vector Wero Whitewater Park has a Safety Management System that has been audited and certified by OutdoorsMark against the Safety Audit Standard for Adventure Activities.
Qualified outdoor guides and educationalists serve as the guide and tutors to visitors at Vector Wero Whitewater Park and perform safety checks on all equipment onsite.
School activities are designed within the National Curriculum of the New Zealand Ministry of Education and are modelled on the successful Due Drop Events Centre Schools Programme.
AdventureMark Certified
Vector Wero Whitewater Park has passed the safety audit of AdventureMark and meets national and international safety standards. For more information, click here.