Surf Athletes
We all like to think we are surfers who “could have” made it. These surf athletes actually are making it. From underground heroes to rising groms – this is where we lay bare the best talent in the country.
The Nats for 2023 have started at Piha with fun 2-3 foot waves providing some quality contest conditions. After two days of competition here’s our pick on the likely candidates for the 2023 titles. Even in the first few days of competition it is clear there are some favourites emerging......
The Nats for 2023 are underway at Piha, but where are some of our best surfers? Let’s address one of the elephants in the room with Nats 2023: the missing players. Why are so many of our best surfers missing in action. Consider this: Paige Hareb isn’t in attendance. She’s......
New Zealand Surf Journal asks the New Zealand surfing industry to rank our 10 best surfers. The concept is simple: include not just the best competitors, but also our very best free surfers and underground chargers. This is who they came up with as we head into 2023. THE CRITERIA......
Taranaki surfer Daniel Farr won the Nationals at Westport in 2022, taking down form surfer of the event, Billy Stairmand, in one of the most exciting finals ever seen in New Zealand. The quiet, reserved surfer always believed he could do it. Now he has his sights set on the......
I met emerging filmmaker George Syme hanging with Tom Butland at the Scholastics in Taranaki earlier this year. They were about to release a film and I had seen enough of Tom’s surfing to be curious. Well, more than curious … I knew it was going to be special. It......
Ngati Awa surfer Levi Stewart’s dream as a 12-year-old was finally realised today after winning the 2022 Aotearoa Maori Surfing Titles for the first time and joining defending champion Natasha Gouldsbury (Te Atiawa) as winners of the premier Tane and Wahine Divisions. Te Atiawa retained the Iwi of Origin by......
Piha’s Liv Haysom broke through to win the Under 18 Girls Division at the 2022 New Zealand Scholastics Surfing Championships held in Taranaki this week with Kaikoura’s Tyler Perry making a late charge to clinch victory in the Under 18 Boys division. The event has been running on the Taranaki......
International Surfing Association President, Fernando Aguerre, and former world number one surfer, Sally Fitzgibbons, have been appointed to International Olympic Committee Commissions for 2022. The inclusion of two leading surfing figures in the latest IOC Commissions highlights the positive and growing role of surfing within the Olympic Movement. Within the......
Today’s O’Neill Taranaki Grom Comp has completed the New Zealand Grom Series with Tao Mouldey, of Mount Maunganui, and local surfer Natasha Gouldsbury claiming wins in the premier Under 18 Boys and Girls Division. Wins also went to Tava Santorik (Mnt) and Pia Rogers (WGM) in the Under 16 Divisions......
Here’s our 40-frame take on the 2022 New Zealand Primary School Championships, which was held in Gisborne at the weekend in occasionally pumping waves. Huge congratulations to all the groms who took part and made this such a cool event to be a part of. And thanks to Sticky Johnson......