12/10/2023
Grom Series announcement
We are pleased to publish our upcoming season of events across our three major series – the NZ Surf Series, NZ Grom Series and NZ Longboard Series. More detail on each series and individual events will be released in the coming weeks.
Along with the event dates announcement, we can share some exciting changes to the NZ Grom Series and amendments to the New Zealand Team selection policy.
NZ Grom Series
We have previously delivered a simple ‘one size fits all’ option for junior events. However, as the NZ Grom Series has grown with national events now at capacity, there is demand for more participation opportunities and greater geographical reach.
It is also evident that not all events are equal. For example, there is a lot more on the line at the National Championships compared some other grom comps. The Grom Series will reflect this.
Key Amendments
- Three tiers of junior events – SNZ3000, SNZ2000, SNZ1000
- The National Champs, final event of the Billabong Grom Series and the South Island Champs will have an SNZ3000 ranking
- All other existing junior events will have an SNZ2000 ranking
- New regionally/locally delivered events will have an SNZ1000 ranking
- Participant ranking will be taken from their best four results instead of five
We will encourage new locally delivered events as part of the NZ Grom Series and have had interest from three regions regarding hosting SNZ1000 events to support their local juniors. This provides an excellent opportunity for youth to give events a go without travelling nationally and builds club capability in each region. Our Live Heats event platform allows us to easily integrate regional events into the national structure.
The reduction of counting events from five to four is in response to feedback on both the duration of the season and cost of participating at nationwide events. The staggered divisions at the National Championships also reflects this feedback. By giving each island a top tiered event (plus the Nationals), we believe we provide a fair playing field for all junior surfers.
Webinars
In conjunction this update, we will be holding two webinars to provide further information and discussion:
Webinar 1, Tues 24 Oct 7pm – NZ Grom Series amendments, regional event options and national pathways
To Enter Webinar Click Here
NZ Grom Series
Jan 7-13 – National Surfing Championships, Dunedin (9-12 Jan), SNZ3000
Jan 27-28 – Billabong Grom Series pres by Oceanbridge Event 1, Mount Maunganui, SNZ2000
Feb 10-11 – Billabong Grom Series pres by Oceanbridge Event 2, Whangamata, SNZ2000
Feb 24-25 – Billabong Grom Series pres by Oceanbridge Event 3, Piha, SNZ3000
Mar 2-3 – New Zealand Women’s Surf Festival, Pauanui (female only), SNZ2000
Mar 9-10 – Seventh Wave Women’s Canterbury Champs, Sumner, Christchurch (female only), SNZ1000
Mar 22-24 – Ray White Duke Festival of Surfing, New Brighton, Christchurch, SNZ2000
29 Mar – 1 April – Te Kaika South Island Surfing Championships, Dunedin, SNZ3000
April 20-21 – Kaikoura Grom Comp, Meatworks, Kaikoura, SNZ2000
April 26-28 – Exit Surf Men’s Canterbury Championships, Christchurch (males only), SNZ2000
May 3-5 – Backdoor King and Queen of the Point pres by Quiksilver (Divisions TBC), SNZ2000
May 11-12 – Sequence Surf Gisborne Junior Pro, Gisborne, SNZ2000
Other Key Events
Feb 22 – 2 March – ISA World Surfing Games, Puerto Rico
Mar 9-10 – Hurley New Zealand Club Championships, Whangamata
Mar 19-20 – New Zealand School Tag Team Festival – (location tbc)
July 26 – 11 August – Paris 2024 Olympics (surfing 27-30 July, back up 31 July – 5 Aug)
Sept 16-24 – ISA SUPP World Championships, Denmark
Sept 28-29 – Sticky Johnson Primary School Champs pres by Skullcandy
Oct 7-11 – National Scholastic Championships, location TBC
Oct 26-27 – Aotearoa Maori Surfing Titles, location TBC
