Kaitaia surfers competing in Gisborne

Kaitaia surfers Taj Broughton (pictured) and Kalani Hansen during a freesurf training session at Wainui Beach in preparation for the Scholastics surfing champs which started yesterday in Gisborne.

The Northland team competing in the 2016 National Scholastic Surfing Championships at Gisborne this week includes Kalani Hansen and Taj Broughton from Kaitaia College.

They are the sole Far North representatives among the 12 young surfers who will represent Northland on the East Coast waves against rivals from nine other regions in the five-day contest regarded as the pinnacle of junior surfing in New Zealand.

Hansen is competing in the boys' under-18 division and Broughton in the boys' under-14.

Jamahl Moselen, who is from Whangarei but who attends school at Raglan, is also in the Northland team in the boys' U18 division, while Cory Vercoe from Rodney College and Jacob Buckle from Huanui College are also lined up in the boys' U14 events.

Billie Scott, from Whangarei Girls' High School, will carry Northland pride in the girls' U18 division and the region will be represented in the U16 boys by Max Brunker from Whangarei Boys' High School, Tom Norton from Bream Bay College, Tom Parker from Huanui College and Joseph Critchfield from Rodney College.

Grace Pevats from Whangarei Girls' High School is in the U16 girls' division and Billy Gilbert from Whangarei Boys' High School is the reserve travelling with the Northland team.

The coach is Jamie Scott and the team manager is Mark Pevats (father of Grace), who said the team arrived in Gisborne on Saturday night and booked into accommodation at Waikanae Beach, where on Sunday morning they were out early riding waves he described as "not massive, but very surfable".

Mr Pevats said just over 90 Scholastics surfers were officially welcomed to Gisborne on Sunday evening and the Northland team had been eager to start competitive surfing, which began yesterday.

Primary schools ended a national swimming contest at Gisborne on Sunday and last year's winner, Thomas Robinson, of Whangarei, had won back to back titles, Mr Pevats said.

"This is Thomas's last year in the intermediates so he will be in the Scholastics next year."