Stonefish Va’a and Simple Green have teamed up to back New Zealand-based paddler Jake Suitauloa’s campaign at the Wai Tui International regatta in Fiji, organisers confirmed on Tuesday, a boost for an event set to draw nearly 300 competitors to Wailoaloa Beach in early April. The sponsorship secures one of the Pacific’s most accomplished young athletes for the revived regatta and underlines an explicit push by regional partners to strengthen va’a development across island nations.
Suitaaloa arrives in Nadi on the back of a string of recent domestic and international successes that organisers say make him “one of the most complete Premier paddlers in the region.” He secured the Premier Men’s V1 250m Dash title in 2025 — the race regarded as New Zealand’s pure speed championship — and successfully defended that crown in 2026. Over the past two seasons he has also taken national titles in the V1 500m, V6 500m, V6 1500m and V12 500m, showing rare versatility across sprint and crew formats.
His record beyond New Zealand further raises expectations. Suitauloa won three silver medals with the Aotearoa Elite Men at the 2024 World Sprint Championships in Hawaii, claimed gold in the Premier Men’s 49km changeover at the 2025 Whales Run in Australia, notched a top-10 finish at the 2025 Molokai Hoe with team Pineula, and struck gold in the 10km Iron and silver in the 36km Round Raro changeover at the 2025 Vaka Eiva in Rarotonga. Those international campaigns are cited by organisers as part of the pedigree he will bring to the Wai Tui program.
The sponsorship from Cook Islands’ Stonefish Va’a and Fiji Chemicals Ltd’s Simple Green — both named by organisers as backers of Suitauloa’s trip — is being portrayed as more than athlete support. Event organisers say the commitment is aimed at “strengthening Pacific development, connecting islands and investing in athletes who elevate the sport wherever they go.” That wider goal aligns with Suitauloa’s stated intent to use his experience in New Zealand’s high-performance environment to help raise standards among Fiji and Pacific paddlers during the regatta.
Wai Tui International, returning to Fiji’s paddling calendar after a long hiatus, is scheduled to run from April 3–6 at Wailoaloa Beach. Early registration and build-up events around Suva and Nadi have generated strong regional interest; organisers expect close to 300 paddlers from Fiji and across the Pacific, including clubs from New Zealand, the Cook Islands, Australia and beyond.
For local clubs and younger paddlers, Suitauloa’s presence offers the double benefit of tough on-water competition and informal knowledge sharing on race craft and preparation. With several Fiji crews using the lead-up regattas to fine-tune combinations and steering ahead of Wai Tui, organisers say exposure to visiting athletes and coaches is a key part of the event’s legacy objectives.
Suitauloa’s campaign will be watched closely not only for his medal prospects but for the wider influence organisers hope it will bring: competitive racing at Wailoaloa that also serves as a practical exchange, lifting the technical baseline of va’a across the Pacific.
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