Double Titles to Waikato Surfers at National Championships

Raglan surfers Billy Stairmand and Maya Mateja claimed the premier divisions of the 2026 National Surfing Championships presented by Trust Tairawhiti on Saturday (17th January) taking the trophies north from Gisborne.

Under moody skies and unruly 1.5m waves at Makorori Beach, the two surfers added to their tallies, Stairmand extending his impressive tally to nine while 17‑year‑old Mateja claimed her second title.

Having last won a title in 2021, 36‑year‑old Stairmand had to battle the largest field of surfers in the past two decades for the win and by his own admission had battled to find his feet during the seven‑day event.

"I had a couple of scrappy heats this week, it was small most of the week but contestable and I just couldn't find my rhythm. I actually changed up my boards today too which was good and I saved my best performance until last," stated Stairmand who finished with a 17.84 point heat total for the win in what ultimately was a dominant performance.

"I started with that left hander and got an 8.67 then I got a right that allowed three good turns and I thought it was better," he added of his second scoring ride – a 9.17.

"My ninth title feels real good. Stoked on the win going into Hawaii next week, it looks like some good swell around over there, the conditions will be a bit different to here, that's for sure," said Stairmand who departs to Hawaii on Tuesday to contest the second last WSL Challenger Series event of the series.

Defending National Champion Alexis Owen was the only surfer that stayed in reach of Stairmand posting an 8.33 point ride to open the final. Needing a near perfect 9.51 point ride for the win, the Dunedin surfer remained patient all final looking for the opportunity but the clock beat him and he had to settle for a well‑deserved runner‑up finish.

Taranaki surfer Daniel Farr finished the final in third place and together with first‑time finalist Cooper Roberts (Mnt) in fourth, was left requiring a combination of scores to match Stairmand.

By contrast the women's final was an edge‑of‑your‑seat match‑up with 0.67 points separating first from fourth with the lead swinging several times through the 25 minutes.

Mateja grabbed the win late and on her last scoring ride of 5.73 to post a 12.80 heat total for her second title, her first coming in 2024.

"I feel so happy and blessed, super grateful to be here with my family and enjoy the event and get the win this week," said Mateja.

"Really hard conditions today, I didn't know what was going on out there because I couldn't hear the scores coming out. The other girls were surfing good, so I knew I had to concentrate on getting more good waves for the win and when I came into the beach, I found out that I did enough," she added.

Mateja was proud to win alongside Billy as someone she looks up to. "I love his surfing, it means a lot to me to win alongside him today and take two titles back to Raglan," she said.

Second and third placed surfers Ariana Walker (Mnt) and Leia Millar (Piha) both finished in fourth with Walker getting the nod by way of her 7.40 point ride as the highest of the two surfers. Walker was another surfer to sit patiently and wait for a final good ride after taking the early lead in the final but the young surfer fell short by the time the final hooter sounded.

Millar again only needed a small 6.11 ride for the win in her first year out of the age groups but the conditions didn't give her the opportunity to challenge for her first title. Alani Morse (Rag) while finishing fourth, was never out of the title race after surfing five heats on the final day of the event, chasing a small 5.4 point ride for the title.

In the junior divisions it was Alexis Owen (Dun) who earlier secured the win in the Under 18 Boys alongside Poppy Entwisle (Tara) in the Girls Division. Owen completed the full set of age‑group titles having previously won the Under 14 and 16 Boys Divisions. For Entwisle, she added to her 2022 title in the Under 14 Girls Division and heads.

For the Under 16 Division it was Vitor Bauermann (Mnt) who defended his title in the boys division and the experienced yet young Lola Groube (Pau) winning her first ever title for the girls.

Jaxon Willows (Mnt) and Izaro Williamson Sasia (Tara) won the Peter Byers Most Outstanding Performance Award for the event after the two young surfers claimed double titles in the longboard divisions winning the open and age‑group divisions.

Just under 400 entries across 28 divisions were received for the event which featured competition across shortboard, longboard, stand‑up paddleboard (SUP), kneeboard, bodyboard and adaptive disciplines, with divisions spanning from Under 14s through to Over 70s.

The event marks the first of eight national events around the New Zealand coastline as part of the Epic Break summer campaign showcasing surfing talent and celebrating the surfing community between January and April.

The 2026 event is hosted by Gisborne Boardriders Club alongside Trust Tairawhiti. They are joined by event partners Neighbourhood Cantina, Chris Fougere Orthopaedics, Kiwi Holiday Insurance, ACC and Sun Bum.

The 2026 National Surfing Championships commences both the domestic NZ Surf Series, NZ Grom Series and NZ Longboard Series with events scheduled around the country this summer.