Surfing: Summer's Billabong Grom Series begins in Mount Maunganui this Auckland Anniversary weekend

Anna Brock in action in the surf. Photo / Cory / NZ Surfing Magazine

Mount Maunganui will host the first of three Billabong Grom Series events with more than 100 young surfers competing at Tay Street beach this weekend.

The series starts this morning and finishes tomorrow, with the series continue on to Whangamata and Piha in February.

The Billabong Grom Series has been a cornerstone of summer surfing for New Zealand's finest young surfers over an entire generation and four recently crowned national age group champions return to the arena looking to carry early season momentum from the West Coast where the National Championships were held to the East Coast last weekend.

Tom Butland (Tara) won the Under 16 Boys Division at the National Championships held in Taranaki, capping off an impressive week-long campaign by becoming the youngest ever finalist in the Open Men's Division as well, placing fourth overall.

Butland is joined by Raglan's Caleb Cutmore as the winner of the Under 18 Boys Division, Navryn Malone (Rag), winner of the Under 14 Boys Division and Natasha Gouldsbury (Tara), winner of the Under 16 Girls Division.

The Under 18 and 16 Boys and Girls Divisions are brimming full of hot talent vying for national representation. However, it is the Under 14 Divisions that see the biggest number of surfers participating, many taking part in the series for the first time. A third of the draw is full with local talent.

Local surfers such as Tao Mouldey and Cooper Roberts will transition from the Primary School Champs events through to the Billabong Grom Series this weekend while the Brock sisters, Anna and Sophia, along with India Corcoran already have a couple of years of Grom Series events under their belts and they will want to climb up the series rankings.

The 2019 edition of the Billabong Grom Series is split into three divisions for boys and girls ranging from Under 14 through to Under 18 in two year increments.

The surf is expected to build into the 1m range with onshore winds on Saturday and a fading swell and offshore winds on Sunday. Action starts from 8am until and continues to late afternoon on both Saturday and Sunday.

Billabong Grom Series 2018 winners:
Under 18 Boys: Jared Gebert (Ohope)
Under 16 Boys: Kora Cooper (Raglan)
Under 14 Boys: Jayden Willoughby (Raglan)
Under 18 Girls: Kea Smith (Mount)
Under 16 Girls: Brie Bennett (Mount)
Under 14 Girls: Natasha Gouldsbury (Taranaki)

The 2019 Billabong Grom Series:
January 26-27: Tay Street, Mount Maunganui.
February 9–10: Whangamata.
February 23–24: Piha Beach, Auckland.