Latest Articles - New Zealand Surf Journal

Watch: The Bull: The Surf Legend Who Walked Away From Everything

Watch: The Journey To India’s Hidden Perfect Wave

Kelly Dust: Slater Shines His Light On Kiwi Board Shaper Scotty James

The Physiology Of Life & Death

Dr Will AllenAug 5, 2021August 31, 20210

The raw story behind the Taieri Mouth drowning tragedy of April 2021 and the team of surfing doctors who discovered the fateful capsize. Doctor Will Allen takes us back to a day that still haunts him – but a day that has inspired him to teach other surfers to save...

Emerson’s Search For New Zealand’s Underground Chargers

Derek MorrisonJan 25, 2021July 25, 20240

New Zealand Surf Journal is excited to launch our nationwide Search For New Zealand’s Underground Chargers … powered by Emerson’s Brewery, of course. Yep, you read that right. We’re on the hunt for those surfers in New Zealand who drop tools when the swell starts maxing out. We’re talking big-wave...

Special Feature: The Ratso Story

Derek MorrisonJul 27, 2020July 25, 20240

I’m standing in the garage with him as he sniffles back the taps and shuffles through a rack full of surfboards, his long hair hanging flat. He pulls one after another out and they’ve all got stories: he’s made a bunch of them, rode others to world titles and has...

Shaper Profile: Pete Anderson

Derek MorrisonApr 24, 2020July 25, 20240

With more than 36 years experience shaping surfboards out of Whangamata, Pete Anderson is one of the most humble and well-respected surfboard manufacturers in New Zealand. In this film he shares his journey from growing up in the heyday of Whangamata’s board-building industry to his insights, his hopes and most...

Artist Profile: Aaron Kereopa

Derek MorrisonMar 8, 2019August 12, 20190

Raglan surfer and artist Aaron Te Whanatangi Kereopa chats about his journey, following his mischief, taking the risky road and how his talent has guided him into an incredible place in his art and life. Since that first day he picked up a knife and surfboard more than 20 years...

Unruly Caverns: Chasing Slabs In The Deepest South

Derek MorrisonOct 15, 2018March 1, 20190

A late-season swell offers one last roll of the dice for New Zealand’s big-wave riders and the stakes are high. As the winds swing through the ideal bearing the focus falls on a reef on a remote corner of coastline. Four teams of surfers get the session of a lifetime....

Watch: The Bull: The Surf Legend Who Walked Away From Everything

Keo MorrisonSep 28, 20260

The Bull: The Surf Legend Who Walked Away From Everything is about Brock Little, a fearless big-wave surfer. It shows his rise to fame and why he chose to leave the surfing spotlight behind. The film explores his rise to fame in the world of big-wave surfing, his intense and...

Watch: The Journey To India’s Hidden Perfect Wave

Keo MorrisonSep 28, 20260

“The Journey to India’s Hidden Perfect Wave” is a roughly 7-minute long short surfing documentary produced by the YouTube channel Fielder Films that follows an adventurous, off-the-beaten-path surf trip to India. Because India isn’t traditionally known as a mainstream surfing destination, the video captures the thrilling search for a pristine,...

Kelly Dust: Slater Shines His Light On Kiwi Board Shaper Scotty James

Derek MorrisonAug 10, 2026August 14, 20260

It was nearly 11 o’clock on a Thursday night when the text came through: “I’m here”. Scotty James had already gone to bed. He’d spent months trying to arrange this meeting – a round of golf that never happened, a factory visit that kept getting pushed, a tee time that...

Code Brown: Why Does Dunedin Still Pump Its Sewage Into The Sea?

Derek MorrisonJul 20, 2026July 20, 20260

For a city that prides itself on its wildlife and coastlines, why is Dunedin still discharging partially-treated sewage directly into the ocean? The answer to that question is not as straight forward as you may think. Back in 2018 I wrote a piece for Box of Light that delved into...

Jack Tyro: Chasing the North Star

Derek MorrisonJun 26, 2026August 14, 20260

Nineteen-year-old Christchurch longboarder, Jack Tyro, has just become the first New Zealander to earn a spot on the WSL World Longboard Tour, and the first to reach the upper echelon of the sport’s competitive ranks since Paige Hareb and Ricardo Christie competed on the World Championship Tour back in 2019....

Kiwi Shaper Simon Jones Integral To Italo’s Raglan CT Win

Derek MorrisonJun 2, 2026August 14, 20260

T. Patterson’s New Zealand shaper, Simon Jones, builds the mini quiver that would lead to Italo Ferreira’s success at Raglan’s Manu Bay for stop number 4 of the WSL World Championship Tour. It was an ordinary day in the Ghost Industries shaping bay for Simon – working through his list...

Watch: We Are Coral Gardeners – Film 2.0

Keo MorrisonMay 4, 20260

We Are Coral Gardeners – Film 2.0 is a short documentary about a group of passionate young ocean activists restoring damaged coral reefs. The story reveals how they grow and replant coral while raising global awareness, showing how small actions can grow into a powerful movement to protect the ocean....

Conservation Week: Surfing With Sea Lions, A Short Film

Derek MorrisonApr 25, 2026April 23, 20260

In this short film, Moss Thompson, a surfer and DOC coastal ranger in Otago, explains what surfers need to do to safely surf with sea lions. We’ve all been there: trying desperately to enjoy a surf only to have a sea lion turn up and get in your grill. Well,...

Conservation Week: David Agnew On The Intersection Of Surfing And Conservation

Josh GaleApr 25, 2026April 23, 20260

DOC veteran David Agnew has spent decades living, working and surfing across the whenua, helping to restore wild places and protect endemic species. He says the intersection between surfing and conservation is clear. DOC veteran David Agnew has traveled the country with his work for DOC … and surfed most...

Conservation Week: Moss Thompson, The Ranger On A Mission To Save Sea Lions

Josh GaleApr 24, 2026April 23, 20260

DOC ranger and surfer Moss Thompson works in the same waters he loves –protecting endangered sea lions where they live, breed and play. Moss shares his story from the deep south. My family has always been the outdoorsy types and from an early age we were in the hills tramping....