Kehu Butler to defend his Maori Titles

Kehu Butler will defend his Aotearoa Maori Titles in Taranaki this weekend. PHOTO/FILE

After a pioneering year surfing in Australia, Mount Maunganui's Kehu Butler (Ngai Te Rangi) will return to New Zealand competition for the first time this year as he looks to defend his title at the 2017 Aotearoa Maori Titles in Taranaki.

The event takes place today and Sunday with the primary location being Waitara.

The Maori Titles bring together surfers from around the country for a weekend filled with culture, fun and of course a surfing competition. Manuhiri nationwide will look to topple the strong host iwi of Te Atiawa who claimed the 'Iwi of Origin' in 2016.

For Australia-based Butler, 17, the Titles represent a brief stint in New Zealand where he can travel with his family and take in a local event.

Butler returned to New Zealand earlier this month after placing 11th at the 2017 Vissla ISA World Junior Championship in Japan. Next week he flies out to Australia for another international event as the World Qualifying Series nears the year end.

However, this weekend it is a focus on domestic surfing, representing his family and iwi.

In 2016 Butler competed at the event for the first time and took out his first title with a win in the Under 18 Boys Division. Then in the final of the Open Men's Division, Butler defeated his father Khan, himself an ex-New Zealand representative. What made it even more special was the two surfers competed in front of Khan's father.

Top local surfer Zhana Hutchieson (Te Atiawa) claimed her first title in the Open Women's Division at Waitara last year and like Butler, took home the Under 18 Girls Division. Hutchieson will be back in action this weekend in home waters and a break she is more than familiar with.

On top of the premier Open Men's and Women's divisions, the Maori Titles includes nine additional divisions with junior and senior age groups as well as longboard and stand-up paddleboard divisions. For the first time this year an amateur division has been included to encourage those surfers that have never competed before to give the event a go and join in on the fun.

The Maori Titles have long been held in high regard and the event has unearthed young surfing talent. A number of our best surfers are Maori including top internationally ranked surfer Ricardo Christie, ex international athletes Sarah Mason and Lisa Hurunui, multiple New Zealand representative Daniel Kereopa and a number of current New Zealand representatives.

And Kehu Butler of course.