Northland Age
  • Northland Age home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Rural
  • Opinion
  • Kaitaia weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Far North
  • Kaitaia
  • Kaikohe
  • Bay of Islands
  • Whangārei

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whangārei
  • Dargaville

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Northland Age

Live camera sparks surf wars

Corazon Miller
Corazon Miller, Corazon Miller and Scott Yeoman
Reporter·Herald on Sunday·
2 Apr, 2016 05:00 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
Ahipara is a mecca for surfers. Photo / Francis Malley

Ahipara is a mecca for surfers. Photo / Francis Malley

A turf war has broken out at a much-loved Kiwi surf break over a camera broadcasting surf conditions. It has been taken offline and threats allegedly made to locals who hosted the camera on their property.

Sports website Surf2Surf has recently been broadcasting live footage from Ahipara's Shipwreck Bay for its subscribers.

But the camera was this week switched off after it was vandalised and the family who had hosted it at their holiday home allegedly threatened.

Surf2Surf director Paul Brunskill said the camera situation was becoming "dangerous".

"It was grossly unfair what has happened, especially when you consider the [homeowners'] background and contributions to the community," he told the Herald on Sunday.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Brunskill believed members of the surf community were behind the vandalism and alleged threats.

"They don't want to share their waves," he said.

Police have been notified.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Many in the local community have expressed their concerns, publicly and privately, about the camera.

They reportedly believe it would lead to unwanted crowds at the bay, citing a lack of infrastructure to handle an influx of new arrivals.

Local surf officials said they did not know who was responsible for the intimidating behaviour, but confirmed their opposition to the camera.

North Country Boardriders Club committee member Paul Hansen told the Herald on Sunday there was "absolutely no" infrastructure in the area where the camera had been set up, including a lack of toilets, rubbish bins and drinking water.

"It [would] put pressure on what is already quite a fragile environment and a very dynamic environment - as any coastal area is," he said. "We have no idea, as a board-riders club, who vandalised that camera."

He said he could not think of anyone who could have threatened the family.

He said the camera could also attract fishermen and motorbike riders to the bay, and that over-fishing and motorbikes were already a problem there.

Hansen stressed surfers weren't being greedy and supported growth in the area.

But Surf2Surf director Paul Brunskill disagreed on the basis that the camera was only open to a small number of subscribers.

The Herald on Sunday sought comment from police and Far North District mayor John Carter. Neither returned calls last night.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save
    Share this article

Latest from Northland Age

Northland Age

'Plunged into the dark ages': Far North fury over repeat power cuts

07 Nov 04:00 AM
Northland Age

Lone ambulance overnight in Far North town highlights concerns amid growing demand

06 Nov 07:25 PM
Northland Age

'Please conserve power use': Power restored in Far North, but capacity low

06 Nov 04:23 PM

Sponsored

Kiwi campaign keeps on giving

07 Sep 12:00 PM
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Northland Age

'Plunged into the dark ages': Far North fury over repeat power cuts
Northland Age

'Plunged into the dark ages': Far North fury over repeat power cuts

More than 23,000 homes and businesses lost power for six hours on Thursday.

07 Nov 04:00 AM
Lone ambulance overnight in Far North town highlights concerns amid growing demand
Northland Age

Lone ambulance overnight in Far North town highlights concerns amid growing demand

06 Nov 07:25 PM
'Please conserve power use': Power restored in Far North, but capacity low
Northland Age

'Please conserve power use': Power restored in Far North, but capacity low

06 Nov 04:23 PM


Kiwi campaign keeps on giving
Sponsored

Kiwi campaign keeps on giving

07 Sep 12:00 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • The Northland Age e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to The Northland Age
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The Northland Age
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP