On The Up: Tauranga teen Ellison Hollands crowned world junior girls’ waterski racing champion

Ellison Hollands, 14, won the Junior Girls division at the International Waterski and Wakeboard Federation (IWWF) World Waterski Racing Championships in Belgium. Photo / Marc Vermeiren

At 14, Ellison Hollands is already a world champion.

The Tauranga waterskier is back home after winning the junior girls division at the 2025 World Waterski Racing Championships in Belgium.

She took out the International Waterski and Wakeboard Federation (IWWF) event title last month despite being up against 18-year-old opponents.

Water ski racing involves a team of two - a boat driver towing a skier - doing laps around a course at high speeds.

Ellison’s driver is her dad, Gene Hollands, and they race at up to about 130km/h, with Ellison on a single ski.

Brad Dutton, captain of the New Zealand team for the worlds, said Ellison’s event involved teams racing around a 4-5km circuit for 30 minutes.

A bigger, heavier ski is used, given the high speeds - for Ellison’s height it would be about 218cms.

Once the 30 minutes is up, competitors race a final lap of the course, with the first across the line crowned winner.

Ellison won three of her heats and placed second in the other. She earned the maximum 3000 points and delivered a flawless victory in the final.

The series took place in Bornem and Cheratte in Belgium from August 24 to August 31, attracting competitors from NZ, Australia, Belgium, Austria, the United Kingdom, and France.

Ellison Hollands, 14, at the International Waterski and Wakeboard Federation (IWWF) World Waterski Racing Championships in Belgium. Photo / Marc Vermeiren

From Tauranga, Ellison attends Tauranga Girls’ College and trains over the Kaimai Range at Lake Karāpiro with the Piarere Water Ski Club.

Ellison said she had been up on double skis since she was about 4 years old - a water baby through and through.

She advanced to single skiing before she turned 5, and began ski racing at 8.

She had also dabbled in barefoot waterskiing, which she said has added to her broader skillset.

Waterskiing was not the only sport in her repertoire.

She also rode dirt bikes in the winter to keep fit and played hockey for her school team.

Ellison Hollands, 14, has been waterskiing since age 4. Photo / Marc Vermeiren

“You need guts” for water ski racing, said Ellison. There have been deaths in the sport internationally.

“I don’t get scared, but I’m definitely nervous,” she said.

“It’s a great way to connect with like-minded people. I enjoy waterskiing because of the friends I’ve made.”

Unfortunately, waterskiing isn’t an Olympic sport.

But Ellison has set herself lofty goals.

Seven years ago, the Bay of Plenty Times profiled Ellison for a Young Achiever of the Week series, when she won her first race in the tadpole division at the Bridge to Bridge Water Ski Classic in Hamilton.

Ellison Hollands at age 7. Photo / Andrew Warner

Asked this week where she saw herself in another seven years, Ellison said she “hopes to be the women’s world water ski racing champion, and studying toward a physiotherapy qualification”.

Dad Gene joked that in seven years, he saw Ellison “paying her own bills”.

“I’m obviously very proud of her achievement, but it’s her dedication and commitment to her training I’m also proud of.”

Ellison’s family all waterski “to varying degrees,” said Gene - who also came home with a medal from their success at worlds.

He said both the New Zealand Water Ski Racing Association and the Piarere Water Ski Club had been supportive of Ellison’s journey.

Waterskiing has “taught her about many facets of life,” he said.

“Resilience, commitment, and she has made some lifelong friendships.”

This year, she also came in first for Junior Girls and third for the Women’s category at the IWWF Oceania Championships in Taupō, held in March.

“Her future is very bright, given her dedication and commitment to anything she puts her mind to,” said Gene.

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.