The 60th Edition of the annual NZ Surfing Nationals was a feat not to be scoffed at. It featured the one of the largest entrant numbers, over 400, meaning something like 216 heats. I got to be the official shooter again, which puts me at around 20 Nationals attended. It's a stoke and a privilege not taken lightly.
Piha turned it on. It was pumping at the start, a bit shit in the middle and then verging on epic for the last two days, wait, yes, hold that, it was epic- world class for the finals days.
The 7 days did not go off without a few hitches. I'm embarrassed about my own generation of parents, my friends. We are the helicopter and bulldozer generation. The ones that refuse to accept that their daughter or son could possibly have lost a heat through their own mis management or even - heaven forbid- lack of talent. That somehow it's OK to storm the officials' area, to treat officials like they are imbeciles. That somehow, despite never judging a heat, attending a judges' course or having any qualification, they have osmosified the rule book into their very inner being. It was cringey.
It has knock on effects. It directly affects the heats after, one or two officials are forced to shift attention from their core tasks. It wears the officials down, they are human, having someone standing toe to toe and berating them is not fun. I witnessed more than a couple of these incidents over the week where clearly the offender had got the wrong end of the stick, but refused to take on the information. Sadly, more than one offical stated this would be their last event. As they decompress that may change.
Yeah Adrian and Sam!
Surfing New Zealand will have to adopt and enforce protocols that other sports have had to. To protect their volunteers and officials from abuse. SNZ doesn't have to look too far; both the WSL and ISA have clear protocols on how to query a result.
Moving on, Surfing was the winner on the day. It actually was. The surfing done in every division was incredible. Women, Juniors, Open and the older divisions- they were tough heats, exciting heats, stacked heats. Man, some of the older division heats read like the whos's who of NZ competitive surfing. Lots of former champions, like the OG Benny Hutchings, Darren Kiwi, Pando and Hench.
I used to have to write up a Nationals feature every year....I'm starting to fall back into that role. Don't have to, so I'm not. Here's a gallery of some of my favourite shots from the 8,000 frames taken. Despite the haters and the naysayers, the 60th Edition was one of, if not the best, Nationals ever organised.
Raglan's Kora Cooper was one of the safe bets for the U18 Men, I think Billy Byers may have sorted him out with a hectic nocturnal calendar though :)
Defending Champ Daniel Farr couldn't quite make the last bracket this time, but he was right in the conversation until he wasn't.
You can't go to the top if you don't come off the bottom; surfing 101. And your U16 Womans Champ Alani Morse searing her way to victory.
Dune Kennings surfed the whole event with a fire in his belly- his passion was un-matched.
The flatmate! Billy Stairmand 8x National Open Champ was the on form surfer. It was the others to take off him.
...and holy crap, there's a new threat in town, grommet giant slayer Kalani Louis from the Naki shredded all event making the open final. Watch that name.
As was Billy, former National Champ Elliott Paerata-Reid was very much the on form surfer. The final came down to who got the best waves...now that reads obvious, but what's meant there is that every surfer in THAT final surfed on an elevated level. It came down to the wave selection, and of course the execution.
Another Taranaki Terror. Tom Butland's radicalness and rail surfing was excellent- the junior has become a serious threat.
Yeah the old boys! Darren Kiwi, all style, so much so the judges award him a National Title- pretty good way to mark your 50th Birthday Darren- nice my bro.
Whoa settle down James Washer, you're too old to hack like that!!!
Dune, and the artful combination of critical and precise board placement
Caleb Cutmore's champaign was cut short in the semi's, but man, every wave he got was a combination of well surfed variations. A testament to the depth of surfing NZ has at the moment.
Rick Lasch! Your smiling assassin, he will beat you.
Jrod, aka Jarrod Hancock surfed so many bloody divisions he needed a set of gills!I it worked though, he walked away with his 7th National title. He was ripping.
Keyhole member Liam Joyce was sooo on form in his O40 semi, he came 3rd in that final.
...and Matty Mattucks Scorringe .... finally the bridesmaid no longer! With turns like this, worthy of an Open finals, Matthew clinched his first National Title, the O35's...cos you know, he's OLD now.
...and then you know what happened, Hosting club Keyhole Boardriders had two Open Men finalists, Dune and Elliot, Dune won, his first Open Title to compliment his Junior Title.
Yeah browsers!
Yeah Dune!!!
The Keyhole swarm was insane. I don't think I've ever experienced such an outpouring of support for a winner. Then the haka at the presso lead by Dan Native...well, just wow. This is what NZ Surfing is.
FROM THE GALLERY
I'm stoked to present a new addition to the Waves Gallery on PhotoCPL.co.nz. Shot at dawn on 30 December 2023 and later claimed as one of the best swell and bank combinations in a decade. So chuffed to have been there to have made this image of Whanga Bar you like it? You could totally have it on your wall! The link to it is HERE for media and sizing options... go on you know you need it.