Six Kiwi surfers, led by 23-year-old Tom Butland, will represent New Zealand at the ISA World Surfing Games as the road to LA28 begins next month.
New Zealand will be represented by a youthful six-strong team at the ISA World Surfing Games being held in Punta Rocas, Peru, from 6–15 November, as the first opportunity for national teams to secure qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games gets underway.
The event will bring together close to 300 athletes from more than 60 countries, with the top-performing men’s and women’s national teams each earning an additional Olympic qualification spot for LA28.
New Zealand will be represented by Lewis Murphy (Dun), Taimana Marupo (Mnt), Tom Butland (Tara), Grace Gundry (Northland), Kyra Wallis (Piha) and Indi-Lee Ruddell (Whangarei), with all six athletes making their debut at the prestigious event.
The team will be looking to improve on New Zealand’s 20th-place finish in 2025, with the Olympic qualification opportunity adding another layer of significance to the international competition.
At just 23, Butland is the senior member of the team, with his five teammates all teenagers. The young squad represents an exciting opportunity for New Zealand’s emerging surfing talent to test themselves against the world’s best on the international stage.
Butland arrives in Peru following a memorable year, having won the local trials to earn a wildcard into the World Surf League (WSL) New Zealand Pro at Raglan in May. He was one of three New Zealand surfers to compete in the event, alongside two-time Olympian Billy Stairmand and Alani Morse, Morse going on to claim bronze at the World Junior Surfing Championships in September.
Both Stairmand and Morse along with several other Kiwi surfers committed to the WSL Qualifying Series event in Taiwan which clashes with the World Surfing Games.
The World Surfing Games will feature a formidable international field, including some of the sport’s biggest names. Reigning 2025 WSL World Champion Yago Dora will lead a strong Brazilian contingent alongside former world champion Italo Ferreira and Miguel Pupo.
The United States will also field a high-profile team, spearheaded by Gabriela Bryan, Olympic gold medallist and former world champion Carissa Moore, and Sawyer Lindblad.
The team gather at Taranaki this weekend for a training camp in preparation for the campaign utilising the numerous point breaks as practice grounds. The camp is supported by the Olympic Solidarity Fund thanks to the National Activities Programme and the New Zealand Olympic Committee.
The 2026 New Zealand Surfing Team is as follows:
Open Men
Lewis Murphy (Dun)
Taimana Marupo (Mnt)
Tom Butland (Tara)
Open Women
Grace Gundry (Ahipara)
Indi-Lee Ruddell (Whngrei)
Kyra Wallis (Piha)
About International Surfing Association (ISA)
The International Surfing Association (ISA) is recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the World Governing Authority for surfing, bodyboarding, SUP and surfing. It was originally founded as the International Surfing Federation in 1964 and has been running world championships since 1964, and the Junior World Championships since 1980.
Further Information
For further information on the New Zealand Junior Surfing Team please contact Surfing New Zealand’s Ben Kennings on 021 2278732 or email benkennings@surfingnz.co.nz.
Imagery
High resolution action images of team members will be available to media free of charge upon request.
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