One of Northland's favourite sons, Sir Hec Busby, received his knighthood from Dame Patsy today in front of a huge crowd of well-wishers at the Treaty Grounds in Waitangi. Sir Hec was recognised for reviving the tradition of building waka hourua, traditional ocean going waka, as well as the skills required to navigate by the stars and ocean currents. As a result, the voyaging tradition of Polynesian seafarers who came to Aotearoa, and returned to the Pacific Islands on return journeys, has been replicated, and strengthened the connections with our Pacific whanau. Dame Patsy thanked Sir Hec for adding another chapter to our history.
