The best junior surfers in New Zealand were tested by a solid swell at Gisborne today as the National Scholastic Surfing Championships enters the final two days of action.
A 3.0m swell forced a venue change to Midway Beach in town for the third day of the event and pushed the youngsters to the limit on many occasions with the younger divisions being postponed for the day.
Three regional teams have ten of their twelve surfers remaining in the event including Northland, Waikato and hosts Gisborne. Defending champions Bay of Plenty have nine surfers remaining as do Taranaki and Otago led by Alexis Owen.
It didn’t take long for the action to heat up when Alexis Owen surfed to an event high 17.67 point heat total in the opening match up of the day. Ironically, it was the first time that Owen has ever surfed Midway but that was no barrier for a massive performance as he brought his international experience home from the recent World Junior Championships in El Salvador.
Owen was joined by the likes of Sev Tolhurst (Auck) who turned his heat in the final seconds with a 7.83 point ride for one big backhand turn allowing him to advance alongside Waikato surfer Indica Corcoran.
Local surfer Ollie Tong was the best Gisborne performer winning his heat to advance alongside Zen Mouldey (BOP). Waikato’s Van Camenzind rounded out the Under 18 Boys Division for the day advancing to the quarterfinals in the final heat of the round.
The Under 16 Boys Divisions filled the afternoon with a number of big performances across several teams. Archie Alder (Gis) used his local knowledge to power through to the quarterfinals matching the likes of New Zealand Junior Team members Sol Fritchley (BOP) and Jesse Frazerhurst (Auck) with heat wins.
Xander Banks kept Waikato’s hopes alive for another podium finish after last year’s third placing. Banks is renowned for his love of big waves and a 12.63-point heat total proved that he will be a force as we head into the later rounds of the event.
It is likely that we will return to Midway Beach for the penultimate day of the event, the surf expected to ease throughout the day with favourable northwest winds.
Two full days of action are required to complete the event with Thursday and Friday streamed live via Maori+. Full results can be viewed via Live Heats.
The National Scholastic Surfing Championships brings together school-aged surfers representing thirteen regions from Northland to Southland. Bay of Plenty is the defending champion following last year’s event in Taranaki. They have traded titles with Auckland since 2022.
The Scholastic Championships feature Under 14 through to Under 18 divisions, along with boys’ and girls’ longboard divisions.
First held in 1989, the National Scholastic Surfing Championships have a long history of showcasing New Zealand’s emerging surfing talent, with many former competitors going on to represent New Zealand internationally.
Event Information
The National Scholastic Championships is sanctioned by School Sport New Zealand and proudly supported by the New Zealand Sports Collective comprising Whakaata Maori, Bayleys Real Estate, Caltex, Nateva, Apollo Projects, Anchor and Pub Charity.
Further Information
For further information on the 2026 Scholastic Championships please contact Surfing New Zealand’s Ben Kennings on 021 2278732 or email benkennings@surfingnz.co.nz.
Imagery
High resolution action images of the surfing will be available to media free of charge upon request.
Social Media
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Surfing New Zealand is proudly partnered by:
Sport NZ
ACC
Sun Bum
Kiwi Holiday Insurance
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