A long-serving Ngāti Porou surf life saver is reconnecting his people with the ocean to turn around the Gisborne region's high drowning statistics.
Peter Boyd has been a surf life saver since 1984, and started Ngāti Porou Surf Life Saving Club six years ago to cover the remote, and dangerous Ōnepoto beach.
He's been recognised by Surf life Saving New Zealand for building a new surf lifesaving club for his isolated East Coast community, founded on kaupapa from Ngāti Porou. He talks to Susie Ferguson.