Surfing: Whangarei's Tom Norton performs well at surf competition

Tom Norton in action at the 2016 Aotearoa Maori Titles. Col/Surf2Surf.com

Whangarei's Tom Norton proved his surfing chops by having a solid outing at the 2016 Aotearoa Maori Titles, presented by Evitan Events.

Norton was the equal highest placed Northland surfer at the event finishing fourth in the under-18 Boys Division.

Norton also competed in the under-16 Boys Division finishing fifth overall.

Mangawhai surfer Isaac Johnston also competed at the event finishing fourth in the Longboard Division.

The event was held at Waitara Beach, Taranaki, over Labour weekend. Ten divisions were contested at the event from under-14 Boys through to over-45 Men, Longboard and Stand Up Paddleboard.

Tangata whenua Te Atiawa have claimed the 2016 Aotearoa Maori Titles after two impeccable performances from young Zhana Hutchieson, who claimed double titles at her home break.

The final day of the event was played out in small but fun 0.5m-1m waves at Waitara Beach with clean conditions in the morning giving way to light afternoon sea breezes.

It was clear from the outset that Te Atiawa were the front-runners to claim the Clash of the Iwi. However, thanks to the great performances from Kehu Butler, who also took a double in the Open Men's and under-18 Boys Division, Ngai te Rangi made a battle for the title right until the final heat of the event.

The event was won by Kehu Butler (Mount Maunganui) in the Open Men's Division and Zhana Hutchieson in the Open Women's Division with Te Atiawa winning the Clash of the Iwi.