Cory/NZ Surfing Magazine picture
SURFING
The 2019 summer of surfing will start in Taranaki come January with New Zealand’s leading surfers competing at the Health 2000 National Surfing Championships.
The longest-running surfing event in New Zealand will take place over seven days from January 6 to 12 along the Taranaki Coastline. The last time the event was staged in Taranaki was 2007.
Only one title went to Taranaki at this year’s nationals at Gisborne in January. Jarred Hancox won the over-35 men’s division to go with his three previous titles in the senior divisions.
The last open men’s title that went to Taranaki was that of Brent Hutchieson in 1995. Hutchieson secured the last of seven Taranaki titles. Others have gone to Motu Mataa, Jason Matthews (2) and Ton Deken (3).
A national title in home waters may appeal to Hutchieson’s daughter Zhana, who has become an accomplished surfer winning scholastic and Maori titles. While she is now based in Australia, she might come home for the event.
Other top Taranaki contenders will include World Qualifying Series campaigner Daniel Farr, junior surfer Tom Butland and super grom Natasha Gouldsbury, not to mention an array of older surfers contesting the senior divisions alongside Hancox.
Taranaki’s greatest export, 28-year-old Paige Hareb, is one local legend who has yet to secure a national title. For years she has been unable to compete while on the World Tour.
Hareb is aiming to retain her World Tour spot for 2019 this week when she contests the second-last major qualification event in Spain. Hareb is hoping to lift herself from 13th into the top six and a qualifying spot. Whether she will be eligible to compete at next year’s National Championships remains to be seen, but with the event being hosted by her own Oakura Boardriders Club, no doubt she will be close by to support clubmates should she be ineligible.
Defending open men’s champion Ricardo Christie (Gisborne/Mahia) is in his own qualification race, sitting 16th overall. Christie is looking to climb into the top 10 on the men’s Qualifying Series to reach the 2019 World Tour. A successful back-half of the competitive season starting in Portugal next month could lead to 2019 qualification and see Christie ineligible to defend his title, a bitter-sweet scenario.
Gisborne Boardriders will go into the event as defending club champions, a title that the event hosts Oakura will be eager to contest, with a big field of local surfers expected to compete. Also up for grabs will be the Peter Byers Overall Performance of the Event Award, which was claimed by Piha’s Elliot Paerata-Reid this year.
In the 55 years of the event, the national surfing championships have grown to encompass 29 divisions spread across all disciplines and age groups. Over 300 entries are expected.
Divisions now include age groups from under-14 boys and girls through to over-60s for males and females, along with longboard, stand-up paddleboard and kneeboard disciplines.
This will be the 10th time the event will have been held in the Taranaki region.
The national surfing championships are the first leg of the 2019 New Zealand Surf Series, which in turn provides a pathway towards the ISA World Surfing Games, a key Olympic qualification event.