Local whipper-snapper making waves

ON BOARD: Taj Broughton being presented with a brand new Rip Curl wetsuit upon being officially welcomed aboard Team Surf Bros in Kaitaia on Friday by Johnny Andrews and Kalani and Sergio Hansen.

Taj Broughton will certainly be chalking the 2015 winter up as a particularly memorable one.

Not only have his local pointbreaks at Ahipara been in fine form, the 12-year-old arrived back from his second surf trip to Indonesia last month - where he surfed sizeable Lakey Peak, as well as Bingin and Kuta Reef - to find he had been given a two-page profile in the latest issue of New Zealand Surfing Magazine (July August #164 edition) before being picked up for sponsorship by a local surf shop.

The son of well-known Broadwood surfer Luke Broughton, Taj has been turning heads at his local breaks for a while now. While he certainly appears to be taking all the attention in his stride. His dad laughs at recalling the moment the pair landed back in New Zealand. Suspecting he may have made New Zealand's most longstanding surf journal, Taj made a beeline for the airport bookshop to see if the latest edition had hit the shelves.

He found it alright, and was soon frantically leafing through it to find he had been singled out as that issue's Rising Grom, a regular feature which highlights up-and-coming talent from throughout the country. The Kaitaia Intermediate School student promptly walked over to the counter to show the lady and the other customers gathered there the article and proclaiming, "That's me!"

While it wasn't clear whether she let him have that particular issue for free, the recognition will come as no surprise to anyone who has surfed alongside the pint-sized natural-footer. But to catch the eye of New Zealand's most respected surf photographer showed how far the 12-year-old had come since he well and truly caught the surfing bug a mere three years ago.

NZSM editor Cory Scott had shown up in Ahipara to do a shoot with Raglan Area School's Surfing Academy team during the pumping swells of June. With some of the best young surfers in the country out in the line-up, Taj applied local knowledge to score a perfect set wave (see back page) and promptly proceeded to get a long tube ride, emerging some distance down the line.

Only 5 years old when he first stood up on a board, having being pushed into a wave by his father, Taj doesn't often miss a swell at the local pointbreaks. Citing his favourite breaks as Peaks and Mukerau One, he will get his first taste of competition surfing at the primary schools nationals in Gisborne next month, and has also signed on with Surfing New Zealand's GromLab developmental programme which is being held at the same time. He thanked his mum, dad and "all the locals calling me into the waves" for supporting him in his surfing.

This recent dedication and commitment to his craft also inspired the owner of the surf shop in downtown Kaitaia to sponsor the young ripper. Last Friday, Taj arrived at NZ Surf Bros to be presented with a brand new Rip Curl wetsuit by owner Jonny Andrews in recognition of the fact he was now part of Team Surf Bros, alongside Ahipara brothers Kalani and Sergio Hansen (who are the only Far North students to feature in the Northland team heading to the national scholastics championships in Gisborne next month).

Noting it had been impossible to ignore Taj's recent progression, Andrews said the youngster would make a fine ambassador for the NZ Surf Bros label. Andrews added the local brand would also continue to grow its profile with the opening of a new cafe in Ahipara later this year.

"Watch this space," said Andrews, adding this was among several exciting new developments in the pipeline.