Issues Archives - New Zealand Surf Journal

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...

Photo Essay: Inside The Hīkoi

Morgan TahapehiNov 26, 2024November 26, 20240

Surfer and surf photographer Morgan Tahapehi is renowned for her body of work: Surfers of Aotearoa. Morgan has whakapapa to Tainui, but the reason she decided to hīkoi was to document the voices of New Zealand using her gift as a photographer. This is her story. Ko Tainui tōku waka...

Watch: Southern Blast

Derek MorrisonJul 2, 2024July 25, 20240

Southern Blast tells a story of natural beauty and the looming threat of oil and gas exploration along Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania’s coastline – endangering a unique coastal lifestyle and surfing culture. Southern Blast is a beautiful cinematic celebration of the wild landscapes, abundant marine ecosystems, and local communities...

Special Report: What The New Marine Reserves Mean For You, Fishing … And Sharks

Derek MorrisonOct 26, 2023April 22, 20260

New marine reserves raise a raft of questions for southern surfers as 10-year process finally bears fruit. We ask the experts how they even work, what implications there will be for surfing and fishing, and whether we should expect an increase in sharks over time. In early October this year,...