Surf’s up: Red Bull’s Foam Wreckers surfing event debuts at Mount Maunganui

Mount Maunganui surfing legend Kehu Butler will shred some waves at the Foam Wreckers event on December 6. Photo / Scott Sinton

New Zealand’s first “anti-surf contest” will make a splash at Mount Maunganui on the first weekend of summer.

Red Bull will bring its globally recognised Foam Wreckers competition to Tay St Beach Reserve on Saturday.

The catch? All participants must shred waves on soft-top surfboards, otherwise known as foamies.

Before paddling out, participants will spin the “Wheel of Shred” to determine which Hyper Ride softboard they will ride.

Red Bull chose Mount Maunganui for Foam Wreckers’ New Zealand debut because of local roots: 25-year-old surfing legend Kehu Butler learned to surf in the Bay of Plenty and will get amongst the Foam Wreckers’ fun.

Blair Conklin surfs at Red Bull Foam Wreckers at Ocean City, Maryland, USA on June 8, 2024. Photo / Pat Nolan

He still surfs his hometown waves, rushing from the beach to his couch to speak to NZME.

“I first learned to surf at Omanu Beach,” Butler says, with salt still in his hair from his morning surf.

“I had Barbie floaties on.”

He has come a long way since then and agrees he no longer needs flotation devices.

Butler says Mount Maunganui is the perfect place to host Foam Wreckers.

“We don’t get big waves, so it’s nice for an event like Foam Wreckers. The water’s warm, the waves are super fun, and there are heaps of people around.

“Tay St is an iconic spot to have the event because it’s easy for people to pull up and surf. You’ve got the lifeguard tower, the public toilets, real fruit ice cream, and coffee across the road.”

The Foam Wreckers event has been held across Australia and America since its inception in 2021.

Butler says the event will help encourage the next generation of surfers and benefit the New Zealand surfing community as a whole.

Participants surfing at Red Bull Foam Wreckers in La Jolla, California, USA on October 26, 2025. Photo / Red Bull

“It’s all about having fun and being out in nature. From the day you start surfing until the present day, you’re just trying to have fun.

“Mount Maunganui may not get the biggest or most consistent waves, but I feel like we have the strongest club in the whole country.”

Butler recalls one of his favourite memories from the Gold Coast Foam Wreckers event.

He says the waves were so small that surfers would swap boards mid-surf, or two people would ride the same board.

Butler says surfing has changed in the past two decades.

He used to wait for the New Zealand surf magazines to come out every three months to see if he made the cut.

But social media has made promotion more accessible. When Butler first entered the surfing scene, he had to be physically near the people shooting for the magazines.

These days, “you can film yourself surfing and put it on Instagram”, Butler says.

“It’s easier to become a professional surfer.”

New Zealand’s surf community has always been tight, he says.

“People from all over the country will turn up for this event.”

Bijou Johnson is a multimedia journalist based in the Bay of Plenty. A passionate writer and reader, she grew up in Tauranga and developed a love for journalism while exploring various disciplines at university. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Classical Studies from Massey University.