I have lots of mates that actively hate contest surfing. This has always struck me as strange, it's almost the ol' vegan verses meat-eater convo'; where a vegan will rip-in to expound the evils of having a lamb chop on the barbie, it's their mission in life to convert and save every soul from a cheeky wee sav'. The old how do you know there's a vegan in the room/ Oh, THEY WILL TELL YOU. I've got nothing against someone eating my food's food. And similarly I've got nothing against a surfer that has no interest in donning a contest rashie, so how come it doesn't work the other way?
Yeah, no fun to be had a comp shirt aye... Bachelor Tipene and Dawson Tamiti sharing a laugh before paddling out in their senior heat
I do know the answer to this, as do you, some of it's a cultural hangover and misdirection from the '60s/'70's when successful competitive surfers like Nat Young and Mickey Dora tuned out...and then kept competing. BUT, why oh why, does it even have to be a thing? Where a surfers declares themselves anti comp, not a comp head, that comp heads are somehow voided of being complete surfers. I think it's myopic and lacks any type of holistic overview. A surfer that likes to enter competitions also probably free surfs a shit ton more than you and I... that stoke and froth on surfing has led to their talent getting honed to a point where they can win shit. Entering competition is merely a fractional part of their surfing lifestyle.
There's a caveat on that, having a long scheduled competition coincidently happen at your beach on one the best weekends of the year, your precious 2 of the 7 days and it's pumping? That's a bitter pill to swallow, especially in NZ, that there is some incredibly bad luck.
Yep you'd have to be spewing if it was your day off and the circus was in town- fair call. That said, the Stent locals were fricken amazing hosts for the 2025 Nationals. Thank you guys!!!
Having been immersed in the contest scene since the very early '90's, I can confirm there have always been clicks, there is a scene, scenes within scenes. There are the cool kids and the not so cool kids. But you know what? That's at a bar or a club or even at the vegan bbq [arguably a lot more there actually, passive aggressive HQ!] What there also is, is a bunch of like minded people having some pretty great korero and catch ups. Making new and extending the existing networks that span Aotearoa and the world for that matter. Here's a little gallery of some of the faces that made up a small part of the week long celebration of surfing that is/was the NZ Nationals 2025.
And not pulling punches, straight out of the corner, one of our surfing tribe's Kaumatua, an OG, Master Benny Hutchings 79 years young and still shows up at EVERY Nationals. Still goes to G-land every year. Olympic coach to canoeing greats Ferg and Maca, Invitee to the legendary Sunset Smirnoff Pros. And you know what, says gidday too everyone. Was on the sand for every Gizzy heat. I mansplained to Christian Fougere [also pictured] just what a legend Benny is, he was pretty stoked I think
If you saw Jason Primrose in a dark alley you'd probably get anixxy right, or maybe be a dick and ask him to smash out a Post Malone tune...either way you couldn't have made a worse call. Absolute GC; Jase shapes under the label Creative Energy [which he started in the 90's???] as well as shaping Freezing Hot boards. Being a sought after Tattooist, pays for his shaping habit he reckons. Think the world of ya brother!
At this juncture I'd like to know what all the legends know about Oakley caps that I don't know. Is wearing one some secret shredding into your 70's and 80's??? Tony Ogilvy - Oges- your Over 70's National Champ. Everyone has an Oges story; seeing him smash 7 vert backhanders at Westend lefts, him always somehow getting the sickest bomb at the Heads in a swell
A generation a part and still a senior champion, Over 30 2025 winner Sean Peggs, actually I do believe this is his second O30 Title. Peggsy will get you in the water with his precision and on the sand with his dry observational wit. Either way you are cut
I kind of didn't mean for this to be a gallery of champions, but here's another multiple National Champ Thandi Tipene, 2012 Open Women's and 2025 Over 30's and three beautiful tamariki in between
ohh thank god for that, these two roosters didn't win a thing at the Nationals. Oh wait, that doesn't sound that good aye... if there was a participation award Piha's Will Hardie and Rio Bidois are the champions. They surfed their own heats, supported their fellow Keyhole members...hell Rio even chauffeured Dune Kennings around for the week
Damit, another bloody champion...clearly not panning out the way I thought this post would go. The Queen of the coast, the most successful international NZ surfer eva. Of note her dad joke game has been off the boil of late, Paige Hareb... who also features in a little book I published late last year. Rambo Estrada's Unbound Vol 1 ... you may have heard of it
Raglan's Lucca Thompson, grom to watch; every day Manu Bay is reasonable, you'll see a Lucca patented backhand vert stab, more than several actually. The Nat's didn't fall into his hands this time. But be warned the grom is deadly
Two absolute competive legends, Christchurch's Hayden Brain and the Naki's Jarred Hancock. Honestly, if you saw these two names show up in the draw in your heat you'd be bummed. It would mean some serious work. I don't think Jarred is coaching Hayden here, but if that was what was happening.... everyone else is surfing for 2nd
Photographers hate getting their photo taken. This is Logan Yandle, one of the most talented new photographers to be based in Taranaki. Taranaki breeds some fine surf photogs, Daisy Day of course being the matriarch. I hadn't met Logan before the Nats, but I'd been a fan of his work on Insty and on Surfline for a bit. We were in the media huddle most of the week, I can confirm as suspected, even though he rides a lid, he's an absolute top bloke. You need to follow him, he's on InstagramHERE
My other main media huddler was this guy, Edmon Martin. Ed and I have been mates for over 30 years, the staunch Waitara Boardrider, can bring up a fact or event from the last 4 decades on demand
Yeah, went to a surfing comp, got a traditional tamoko done up and coming practitioner of the ancient art Nick Roberts in the carpark after the finals. Ed under the chisel
Mikey!!!! Colourful as always Raglan's Mikey Banks, while his heats didn't go the way they very, very easily could. Mikey was there with his whole family, supporting his son Xander
Speaking of whanau... Defending Champ Daniel Farr with his mum Shelly and his dad David, completely ignoring the camera. Remember kiddies Respect Your Mother
Damit... bloody Ava Henderson, why'd you have to go and win another National title; totally ruining my faces of the Nationals gallery with another Champion... this was not the plan
Oh for f%cks S@ke.... I did not know Tao Mouldey was going to become the 2025 U18 Champion when I made him look into the lens on this one. Bloody elite athletes and their winning things- bloody annoying
Raglan's Alani Morse, 14 years old, popping airs at will and coming second in the OPEN woman's .... she's 14 people... shots fired
I do like me a good no portrait, portrait. Tommy Butland DID give me a portrait, but this one of him, a moment of quietness in a chaotic week, I like it. Tom's fast becoming the Mayor of the Naki. I don't mean he's trying to be that, it's just his affable persona. He talks to EVERYONE... fricken EVERYONE knows him
The indomitable, the enigmatic, former NZ Champ [ohhhh man another one! .. and I know there's some more coming in this post] Motu Mataa. Rat bag, legend, mate for life
Absolute Taranaki and for that matter Aotearoa surfing legend, Mill partner in crime, Mr Pipi Ngaia
JZ! Former NZ representive at Pan Pacific Cups, at the finals day happy to watch and hang with the crew
The last two former Champs [only 'cos it's time to wrap up this post]. Both Dune Kennings and Elliott Paerata-Reid had very clear mandates as to why they wanted to be at the top of the final bracket again. The story didn't go to script for either, either way Bizza would have been proud of his role models, his mentors and his dear older brothers
