January 20th 2026: Gizzy Nationals

The 2026 New Zealand Surfing Championships took place at Gisborne this past week. The forecast was for super small swell but the reality was a range of fun waves that were mostly contestable all week. That made it possible to get through a stacked Open Men's division with 93 surfers vying for the title.

This year's event attracted a few retirees, ex-pats and internationals. Among them were a bunch of my favourites from my own surfing heyday: local surf royalty Maz, Jay and Holly Quinn, Damon Gunness, Blair Stewart and even local legend Johnny Hicks. They all surfed incredibly with standout performances – Jay even did it with a busted, taped-up knee. 

International surfers returning for a shot at glory included Troy Hirst's son Westen, all the way from Indonesia. He was joined by flying Gold Coast-based surfers Luke Griffin, George Roberts, Daniel Farr and Benji Lowen from Coffs Harbour. 

From the very first heat the surfing was a spectacle. Top seeds fell from the very first round. My boy Keo joined some big scalps in that first exchange as the field reduced to 46. My nephew Reuben made it one click further, beating the great Maz Quinn in the process, but exiting in 25th place. 

By the time we got to the final it contained three former national champions: Billy Stairmand, Daniel Farr and South Coast Boardriders' own Alexis Owen, along with newcomer Cooper Roberts. Alexis was chasing his second title, Daniel his third and Billy was chasing his record-breaking ninth men's title.

The final saw the epic battle that had spanned the event continue with Billy making sure he left nothing to chance to claim his ninth title with Alexis second, Daniel in third and Cooper in fourth. 

Thank you to all the Gisborne locals who supported the event and shared their waves across the week. Thanks to all the competitors who showed respect to the locals in the lineups and kept the good buzz vibe alive. 

See you at the beach, Derek

PS Big love to all the surf communities along Sydney's beaches and around Tweed Head right now. We are thinking of you as you deal with this current spike in shark activity. As I write this, on Monday evening, a third incident in 48 hours has taken place, this time at Manly. That follows an earlier scary encounter when an 11-year-old surfer escaped injury after a suspected bull shark bit his board at my beloved Dee Why Point. They follow an attack yesterday in Sydney's harbour, that saw a 12-year-old boy mauled while swimming. Warnings have also been made about an increase in shark activity in Tweed River and the popular Gold Coast surf beaches. Both regions have experienced severe flooding in recent days and are beset with murky water around these popular surf spots. Take care out there. Let's hope this passes as the floodwaters subside.