STONEFISH Va’a (Cook Islands) and Simple Green (Fiji Chemicals Ltd) are backing one of the Pacific’s most accomplished young paddlers as they send Jake Suitauloa to the 2026 Wai Tui International – an athlete whose recent results place him firmly among New Zealand’s fastest and most versatile Premier paddlers.
Suitauloa’s sprint credentials are unquestionable. He won the Premier Men’s V1 250m Dash in 2025, the event that crowns New Zealand’s pure speed champion, and followed it with another Premier Men’s V1 250m gold in 2026.
Across the past two seasons, he has also added national titles in the V1 500m, V6 500m, V6 1500m and V12 500m, confirming his status as a paddler who can dominate both explosive sprints and high-endurance crew racing.
His international resume is equally compelling.
• 2024 World Sprint Championships (Hawaii): triple silver with the Aotearoa Elite Men
• 2025 Whales Run (Australia): gold in the Premier Men’s 49km changeover
• 2025 Molokai Hoe (Hawaii): top-10 finish with Pineula
• 2025 Vaka Eiva (Rarotonga): gold in the 10km Iron and silver in the 36km Round Raro changeover
These results place Suitauloa among the most complete Premier paddlers in the region – a rare blend of speed, stamina, and technical discipline. Now he brings that calibre of performance to Fiji.
With close to 300 paddlers from Fiji and across the Pacific set to compete at Wailoaloa Beach, Suitauloa sees the Wai Tui International as more than another race weekend.
He arrives with the intention of helping lift the standard of paddling across Fiji and the wider region, sharing the race craft and preparation honed through New Zealand’s high-performance environment and his international campaigns.
For Stonefish Va’a and Simple Green, supporting Suitauloa is a commitment to Pacific development – strengthening pathways, connecting islands, and investing in athletes who elevate the sport wherever they go.
For Suitauloa, the mission is clear: race hard, represent well, build Pacific connections and contribute to the rising standard of va’a in Fiji and throughout the Pacific.
