New Zealand longboarding is entering a new chapter with a talented young squad named to represent the country at the 2026 ISA World Longboard Championships in El Salvador in October.
Every member of the four-person squad will still be under 20 years of age when the ISA World Championships begins, making them the youngest New Zealand longboard team ever assembled and likely one of the youngest teams competing at the event.
Yet despite their age, these athletes arrive with credentials that rival some of the most accomplished teams the country has produced.
- Jack Tyro from Christchurch is second in the World Surf League Australia/Oceania qualifying series. Having currently competed in the opening stop of the WSL Longboard Tour, Tyro is currently placed ninth-equal in the world.
- Jaxon Willows from Mount Maunganui currently holds both the national Open Men’s and Under-18 Longboard titles, an achievement that highlights his status as one of the country’s most exciting emerging surfers. He is currently ranked third in the WSL Australia/Oceania qualifying series.
- Izaro Williamson Sasia from New Plymouth has matched the same feat as Jaxon on the women’s side, claiming both the national Open Women’s and Under-18 championships while establishing herself as one of the most promising young talents in Australasian longboarding. She is currently ranked seventh in the WSL Australia/Oceania qualifying series.
- Te Waiotu Fairlie from Gisborne enters the world championships as the reigning New Zealand Festival of Longboarding champion. Another up and coming talented young longboarder who made it to the Open Women’s Egmont Honey Pro WSL Longboarding final in Taranaki, Fairlie is currently ranked fifth in the WSL Australia/Oceania qualifying series.
Collectively, they represent a new generation capable of reshaping perceptions of New Zealand longboarding on the world stage.
Longboarding is known for its elegant carving and style in the waves where techniques such as nose riding, cross-stepping, and control are crucial elements.
Leading the Colliers New Zealand Longboarding Team is 19-year-old captain Tyro, who has recently returned from competing on the opening stop of the World Surf League Longboard Tour, the highest level of professional longboarding in the world.
Tyro’s experience competing alongside the sport’s international elite provides invaluable leadership for a young squad preparing for the biggest event of their careers.
His recent World Tour campaign followed victory at the inaugural Egmont Honey Pro at Fitzroy Beach, the first WSL-sanctioned longboard event ever held on New Zealand soil. The event showcased the extraordinary depth of local talent.
Fairlie advanced all the way to the women’s final, Williamson Sasia reached the quarter-finals on her home break, and Willows finished agonisingly close to qualification after missing the eventual World Tour qualifying position by just 0.03 of a point.
Those performances reinforced what many within the sport already believe: New Zealand’s longboarding future has arrived.
Ben Kennings, Chief Executive of Surfing New Zealand, says as October approaches, excitement is building throughout New Zealand’s surfing community.
“We know the challenge awaiting the team in El Salvador is considerable. The ISA World Longboard Championships attract the very best surfers from around the globe, representing nations with decades of investment and international experience,” Kennings says.
“Yet there is a growing sense that this young New Zealand squad is capable of something special.
“They possess national titles, international rankings, World Tour experience, and a fearless approach that comes from growing up in one of the world’s most respected surfing nations. We are looking forward to watching them show their wares on the global stage.”
Meanwhile, global real estate and professional services firm Colliers has been announced as the team’s naming rights sponsor for the event.
Gareth Fraser, CEO of Colliers New Zealand, says they are excited to have the chance to support the national side at the 2026 ISA World Longboard Championships.
“We wish these athletes all the best as they go and take on the world. It’s inspiring to see these young surfers have the ambition to go and chase their dreams,” Fraser says.
Swiss-Belhotel International which has a large presence in Indonesia and strong links back to New Zealand and Taranaki is also supporting the team as its presenting sponsor, Mackersy Property has also come onboard and is backing the campaign along with Gisborne based apparel company Wai-Tai Aotearoa which is creating and supplying custom designed official team uniforms.
Anyone who would like to support the team can now donate @ https://mcmsurf.com/fundraising