School Surfing Returns to Taranaki for National Scholastics
100 of the country’s best secondary school surfers are set to hit the Taranaki coastline next week for the 2025 National Scholastic Secondary School Surfing Championships.
The National Scholastic Surfing Championships has been held since 1989, uncovering generations of Kiwi talent along the way. Up to 12 regional teams representing every corner of the country may contest the event, vying for pride, points, and silverware. The event runs from Monday 29th September through to Friday 3rd October.
Auckland arrives as defending champions after a commanding win at St Clair Beach, Dunedin, in 2024. Led by captain Leia Millar (Piha), who claimed the Under 18 Girls Division, Auckland also secured wins through Taj Robinson (Mangawhai) in the Under 18 Boys Longboard Division and Jesse Frazerhurst (Takapuna) in the Under 14 Boys Division. Their depth across all divisions proved decisive, giving them the edge over Coromandel and Northland.
Auckland Team Champions in 2024 (PhotosByStevO)
Coromandel will be looking to build on their breakthrough runner-up finish in Dunedin, their first podium in 20 years, highlighted by Lola Groube’s impressive win in the Under 14 Girls Division. Northland, who also made history with their first-ever team podium and three division titles, will come into the week full of confidence.
Bay of Plenty, last year’s fourth-place finishers, return with unfinished business after three close runner-up results in finals, while hosts Taranaki will be eager to make a statement at home after finishing sixth in 2024.
A small contingent of surfers from Otago, Southland and West Coast, will make the trip up whilst Gisborne and Wellington round out the field, each carrying rising talents who could prove to be game changers throughout the week. The depth of competition across all regions makes this year’s event one of the most hotly anticipated in recent memory.
The Longboarding Division is always a highlight of the event (PhotosByStevO)
The 2025 Championships will feature eight divisions across both shortboard and longboard disciplines. For many, it represents the pinnacle of their school surfing careers
Competition is scheduled to begin at 8am on Monday with heats in the younger divisions, depending on conditions along the world-class Taranaki coastline. The final day of competition will be streamed live.
The groms will be hoping Taranaki turns it on like in Dunedin 2024 (PhotosByStevo)
Further Information
For further information on the 2025 National Scholastic Surfing Championships please contact Surfing New Zealand’s Dan Westerkamp on 021 02672292 or email dan.westerkamp@surfingnz.co.nz.
Imagery
High resolution action images of the surfing will be available to media free of charge upon request.
Social Media
Keep up with all the action by following @surfingnz on Facebook, Instagram, X and TikTok.
Partners
The 2025 National Scholastic Surfing Championships is sanctioned by Surfing New Zealand and Secondary School Sport NZ.
The National Scholastic Secondary School Champs are supported by the New Zealand Sports Collective, , Whakaata Māori, Caltex, Bayleys, Apollo Projects and Nateva
Surfing New Zealand is proudly partnered by:
Sport NZ
Sun Bum
OSM
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