Derek Morrison

Shaper Profile: Pete Anderson

Derek MorrisonApr 24, 2020July 2, 20200

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...

Piha Pro Now Cancelled For 2020

Derek MorrisonApr 17, 2020July 2, 20200

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the World Surf League (WSL) has made the decision to cancel the 2020 Corona Piha Pro Challenger Series event in Auckland. After postponing the event in the days before it was due to commence in mid-March, it has become clear that the inaugural Piha event...

Watch: Paige Hareb’s Unexpected Journey

Derek MorrisonApr 15, 20200

What happens when the world’s hungriest World Qualifying Surfers are suddenly cut-free from their commitments when the 2020 Piha Pro is postponed due to COVID-19? Well, if Paige Hareb is involved then there is only one solution: grab a handful of good people and indoctrinate them into the ways to...

Southern Surfing Wahine Share A Lockdown Beer

Derek MorrisonApr 15, 2020July 2, 20200

Bored in lockdown and struggling to stay out of the water? You’re not alone, but in this Covid-19 tarnished world there is a bright side: get creative like these southern surfing girls did. The South Island Surfing Championships were supposed to have been held this past weekend (and the waves...

The Paulownia Whisperer: Xylo Woodcraft

Derek MorrisonMar 31, 2020March 31, 20200

Michael Gilling has been creating wooden surfboards for the past three years. Today, it’s finally time to show them to the world. He gathers his two close friends together on a road trip to show them his three-year secret. Michael shows us his creative process from tree to craft &...

COVID-19 Lockdown: New Zealand Surfers Asked To Help In Crisis

Derek MorrisonMar 26, 2020July 2, 20200

New Zealand’s surfing communities have been asked to stay out of the water for at least the next four weeks to play their role in curbing the transmission of Coronavirus COVID-19. While it’s a hard pill to swallow and certainly not a well-communicated component of the lockdown, leading surfing communities...

Piha Pro Postponed

Derek MorrisonMar 13, 2020June 11, 20200

The 2020 Corona Piha Pro has been postponed as World Surf League puts into action its sweeping reaction to the Coronavirus pandemic, halting all of its March events throughout the world. The Corona Piha Pro organisers apologised to stakeholders, residents, surfers and fans in a statement released today. “We ask...

Grom Series Champions Crowned By Occy And Ryan Callinan

Derek MorrisonFeb 24, 2020July 2, 20200

Six young series champions were crowned by Australian surfing legends Mark “Occy” Occhilupo and Ryan Callinan at the Billabong Grom Series presented by Oceanbridge, which concluded at Piha, Auckland yesterday. The culmination of three events was played out in solid 1.5m waves with strong cross-shore winds offering up new challenges...

Elliot Paerata-Reid Makes Final At Great Lakes Pro, Billy Stairmand Third

Derek MorrisonFeb 24, 2020July 2, 20200

Elliot Paerata-Reid and Billy Stairmand have kicked off their 2020 World Qualifying Series campaigns in stellar form, both landing in the same semi-final heat. Paerata-Reid managed to repeat his effort from the Nationals in Dunedin, holding off an in-form Stairmand to book his finals berth at Boomerang Beach, Great Lakes,...

Piha Pro: A Spectator’s Guide

Derek MorrisonFeb 17, 2020July 2, 20200

Here’s the cheat sheet on how you can best soak up the atmosphere of the Corona Piha Pro when it rolls into Piha from March 15-22. Firstly, there is a Piha Pro Junior that takes place on March 14 for the men and women. It’s stop number 7 on the...