The phrase ‘herea tō waka’ means ‘tie up your waka’ and is a reference to what we do when our waka (sailing vessel) comes into landing – we tie it firmly to the shore so that it doesn’t drift away.

The thought behind our translation is that the waka is a metaphor for our students arriving here at UC. On your first day (Orientation Day), you are metaphorically tying your waka to the shoreline that is UC to ensure your grounding here is firm.