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.
Whangamata surfer Pia Rogers wins the premier women’s division at the 2023 New Zealand Surfing Championship held today at Piha. It was a fairy tale ending for Pia Rogers who contested two finals today – finishing third to Aussie-based Kiwi Tayla Green in the Under 18 Girls. They met again......
Dune Kennings wins the 2023 New Zealand Surfing Championship today at Piha. In a Men’s Open final that had the crowd on its feet, local surfer Dune Kennings pulled off an extraordinary feat to become the first Piha surfer to ever win a title at his homebreak. And he did......
We’ve reached the finals day at the Nats for 2023 and, if the two Open Men’s semis from today are anything to go by, then we’re in for an explosive day at Piha. Controversy surrounds the Open Men’s first semi-final with a priority glitch causing confusion in the middle of......
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......