Family ties and high-stakes splashes drive the third Z MANU WORLD CHAMPS

An exciting lineup of elite Manu athletes is vying for a spot at this weekend’s Z MANU WORLD CHAMPS Grand Final in Whangarei.

For Mangere’s Hayden Etuata, a Manurewa driller, defending his title at the Māngere Styles Comp is about trophies and setting a standard for younger jumpers.

The Z MANU WORLD CHAMPS, now in its third year, celebrates the precision and technique of the traditional Kiwi water bomb - a high jump into a pool designed to create the biggest splash.

What began as a light-hearted local competition has grown into a national sporting event, which attracted more than 2000 participants last year.

This weekend’s event is a major step towards the national championships in Auckland this March.

Alongside Etuata, the Adult Male Manu winner of the Māngere qualifier, the field includes last year’s overall champion Toa and Boys Manu title winner Ngawiki Taka and experienced finalists Jahrome Rapata-Taipari and Faith Sorby.

The Z MANU WORLD CHAMPS, now in its third year, celebrates the precision and technique of the traditional Kiwi water bomb - a high jump into a pool designed to create the biggest splash. Photo/Z Manu World Champions

Speaking with Atutahi Potaka-Dewes, Etuata says he enjoys setting a standard for youth to chase, so that when they achieve it they learn they can go beyond it.

Etuata also has family in the sport. His uncle is William Fraser, the Anything But A Manu Champion and "Coffin King".

“I'd like to shout out my uncle William, thank you for pushing me. He told me to give it a go, and I did. And all my family, cousins, my brothers,” Etuata says.

Scott Rice, the Founder of Z MANU WORLD CHAMPS and Event Director, says the competition provides a professional platform for a community long practised at local wharves and pools.

“I did a lot of swimming when I was younger and aquatic sports, and when we were having fun, we were often jumping off things or doing bombs. I got into event management kind of in my mid-twenties, and I've done lots of aquatic events over the years,” Rice says.

“I always had this idea to run a fantastic event for people that like doing manus and bombs. So in 2022, we had an opportunity to look at doing it, and that's where it came about. We just put a bit of a concept together and it went from there.”

Participants are judged using specialised technology called ManuTech, which measures splash height and impact sound.

The event also partners with Water Safety New Zealand and Sport NZ’s PUSH PLAY programme to promote safe water activity.

Participants compete in various divisions including kids, youth, and adults, with equal prize money offered for both male and female categories.

Etuata admits the nerves are real when performing a Manu. “It’s competitive out there, but I’ll have my family - brothers, cousins, and my uncle - cheering me on.”

After Whangārei, the series travels to Hamilton and Wellington before the first international qualifier on the Gold Coast in Australia.

New Zealand’s finalists will eventually compete from a seven-metre-high tower at Auckland’s Viaduct Harbour on 14 March.