Hector Busby

Who is Hector Busby?

Hector Busby, ONZM MBE, is a Māori navigator and traditional ship builder in New Zealand. He is recognised as a leading figure in the revival of traditional Polynesian navigation and ocean voyaging using wayfinding techniques.

He has built 26 traditional waka, including the double-hulled Te Aurere which has sailed over 30,000 nautical miles in the Pacific including Hawai'i, Cook Islands, French Polynesia, New Caledonia and Norfolk Island. In December 2012, Te Aurere and Ngahiraka Mai Tawhiti reached Rapa Nui after a 5000-nautical-mile, four-month voyage from New Zealand. The two waka then made the return journey to New Zealand, landing at Aurere Beach in Doubtless Bay in May 2013.

Busby is of mixed Pākehā and Māori heritage. He is from the Māori tribes of Te Rarawa and Ngāti Kahu.