School Surfing Returns to Taranaki for National Scholastics Competition

A strong contingent of Raglan and Waikato surfers lined up alongside 100 of the country’s best secondary school athletes at the 2025 National Scholastic Secondary School Surfing Championships, held on the Taranaki coastline from 29 September to 3 October.

First staged in 1989, the championships have long been a launchpad for Kiwi talent, with twelve regional teams contesting titles across shortboard and longboard divisions. Waikato was well represented, with Raglan surfers Alani Morse, Van Camenzind, Xander Banks, Jacob Haines, and Theo Morse among those carrying the region’s surfing mana into the national arena.

The week delivered testing surf and fierce competition, with Auckland entering as defending champions after their dominant 2024 campaign. Coromandel and Northland continued to impress following their historic podium finishes last year, while hosts Taranaki and Bay of Plenty pushed hard in front of strong home support.

For the Waikato surfers, the championships were not only about results but also about experience, teamwork, and testing themselves against the best of their peers from around the country. The event was streamed live on Whakaata+ and provided another stepping stone in the development of Aotearoa’s next generation of surfers.

Waikato Team 2025

U18 Boys

Jacob Haines

Ethan Kirk Orman

Theo Morse

U18 Girls

Lani Frazerhurst

Ayla Gee

U16 Boys

Xander Banks

Van Camenzind

Indica Knox Corcoran