Environment: coastal issues, protection, a better way

Conservation Week: How The Karioi Project Returned Birdsong To Raglan

Josh GaleApr 22, 2026April 23, 20260

Next time you’re out for session at Raglan and you hear birdsong in the bush-clad hills above the break, remember the 100+ volunteers, including many surfers, who brought it back from the brink. Whenever Kristel van Houte is out at one of her go-to Raglan spots with her 6’10” mid-length...

Conservation Week: Looking Beneath With Kirsty Prior

Nicole StevenApr 21, 2026April 23, 20260

Surfer, diver, conservationist, civil servant: Kirsty Prior wears many hats. We caught up with her ahead of Conservation Week to chat about how surfers can contribute to a healthy ocean. One day, out at Jailbreaks in the Maldives a young woman was settled on her board between sets, when she...

Conservation Week: The Inspiring Comeback Of Lizard Specialist Ben Barr

Josh GaleApr 20, 2026April 23, 20260

Founder of the Good Surf Now app, Ben Barr lived and breathed conservation until a surfing accident ruined his life. Whangārei writer Josh Gale shares his remarkable comeback story. There was a moment when Ben completely fell apart. He had been teaching Conservation and Environmental Management at NorthTec Wānanga, pushing...

Watch: Salt In Their Veins

Derek MorrisonMar 24, 2026April 7, 20260

Award-winning filmmaker Rita Hencke brings us into the lives of the Bajo people of Southeast Asia, offering an insight into their strong bond with the sea and the challenges small-scale fishing communities face. The Bajo people of Southeast Asia have a deep connection with the marine environment. As descendants of...

Fiji’s Government Moves To Restore Customary Control Of Surfing Areas

Derek MorrisonNov 26, 2025April 23, 20260

Sitiveni Rabuka’s Cabinet has endorsed a bill that is set to repeal a significant piece of regulation that liberalised access to all surfing areas in Fiji. The Fijian government confirmed that the Commercial Use of Marine Areas Bill 2025 had been given the all-clear to be tabled in parliament, which...

Understanding The Battle To Save Wairarapa’s Coastal Access

Derek MorrisonAug 18, 2025August 18, 20250

South Wairarapa District Council’s proposed bylaw – to ban all public access to the public road leading to one of the most remote and spectacular coastlines in New Zealand for a period of three years, may be a misstep. Here’s our guide to understanding what’s happening and how surfers can...

Council Seeks To Close Access To Iconic Wairarapa Surf Coastline

Derek MorrisonAug 17, 2025August 18, 20250

South Wairarapa District Council is proposing a bylaw that would ban all public access – even on foot – to a public road leading to one of the most remote and spectacular coastlines in New Zealand. The Wairarapa Coastline in question is a real jewel in the New Zealand surf...

Bondi’s Tan Family Named Humanitarians Of The Year By SurfAid

Derek MorrisonMay 14, 20250

SurfAid has named Eugene, Deb, Jet and Spike Tan (the people behind Aquabumps) as SurfAid’s Humanitarians of the Year for 2025. This award recognizes individuals, groups, or in this case families, for their exceptional contributions towards supporting SurfAid’s mission to improve the health, well-being, and resilience of people living in...

SurfAid’s Work Evolving In Remote Surf Locations

Derek MorrisonMay 14, 20250

SurfAid shares an update on their work in the remote communities of Rote and the Mentawai Islands, and name their Humanitarian of the Year for 2025. In the Mentawai Islands, the SurfAid Katuronata program is in full swing. Each day, new water facilities are being built in partnership with local...

Watch: The War on Style

Derek MorrisonDec 19, 2024December 19, 20240

After competing on the Freeride World Tour, and transitioning into a new career in nursing, Hank Bilous brings us an exposé into the relationship between different passions, the skill sets behind them, and the self-expression that mastery of them allows. In his directorial and producing debut, Hank adds another qualification...