New
Zealand
longboarding
is
entering
a
new
chapter
with
a
talented
young
squad
named
to
represent
the
country
at
the
2026
ISA
World
Longboard
Championships
in
El
Salvador
in
October.
Every
member
of
the
four-person
squad
will
still
be
under
20
years
of
age
when
the
ISA
World
Championships
begins,
making
them
the
youngest
New
Zealand
longboard
team
ever
assembled
and
likely
one
of
the
youngest
teams
competing
at
the
event.
Yet
despite
their
age,
these
athletes
arrive
with
credentials
that
rival
some
of
the
most
accomplished
teams
the
country
has
produced.
-
Jack
Tyro
from
Christchurch
is
second
in
the
World
Surf
League
Australia/Oceania
qualifying
series.
Having
currently
competed
in
the
opening
stop
of
the
WSL
Longboard
Tour,
Tyro
is
currently
placed
ninth-equal
in
the
world. -
Jaxon
Willows
from
Mount
Maunganui
currently
holds
both
the
national
Open
Men’s
and
Under-18
Longboard
titles,
an
achievement
that
highlights
his
status
as
one
of
the
country’s
most
exciting
emerging
surfers. He
is
currently
ranked
third
in
the
WSL
Australia/Oceania
qualifying
series. -
Izaro
Williamson
Sasia
from
New
Plymouth
has
matched
the
same
feat
as
Jaxon
on
the
women’s
side,
claiming
both
the
national
Open
Women’s
and
Under-18
championships
while
establishing
herself
as
one
of
the
most
promising
young
talents
in
Australasian
longboarding. She
is
currently
ranked
seventh
in
the
WSL
Australia/Oceania
qualifying
series. -
Te
Waiotu
Fairlie
from
Gisborne
enters
the
world
championships
as
the
reigning
New
Zealand
Festival
of
Longboarding
champion.
Another
up
and
coming
talented
young
longboarder
who
made
it
to
the
Open
Women’s
Egmont
Honey
Pro
WSL
Longboarding
final
in
Taranaki,
Fairlie
is
currently
ranked
fifth
in
the
WSL
Australia/Oceania
qualifying
series.
Collectively,
they
represent
a
new
generation
capable
of
reshaping
perceptions
of
New
Zealand
longboarding
on
the
world
stage.
Longboarding
is
known
for
its
elegant
carving
and
style
in
the
waves
where
techniques
such
as
nose
riding,
cross-stepping,
and
control
are
crucial
elements.
Leading
the
Colliers
New
Zealand
Longboarding
Team
is
19-year-old
captain
Tyro,
who
has
recently
returned
from
competing
on
the
opening
stop
of
the
World
Surf
League
Longboard
Tour,
the
highest
level
of
professional
longboarding
in
the
world.
Tyro’s
experience
competing
alongside
the
sport’s
international
elite
provides
invaluable
leadership
for
a
young
squad
preparing
for
the
biggest
event
of
their
careers.
His
recent
World
Tour
campaign
followed
victory
at
the
inaugural
Egmont
Honey
Pro
at
Fitzroy
Beach,
the
first
WSL-sanctioned
longboard
event
ever
held
on
New
Zealand
soil.
The
event
showcased
the
extraordinary
depth
of
local
talent.
Fairlie
advanced
all
the
way
to
the
women’s
final,
Williamson
Sasia
reached
the
quarter-finals
on
her
home
break,
and
Willows
finished
agonisingly
close
to
qualification
after
missing
the
eventual
World
Tour
qualifying
position
by
just
0.03
of
a
point.
Those
performances
reinforced
what
many
within
the
sport
already
believe:
New
Zealand’s
longboarding
future
has
arrived.
Ben
Kennings,
Chief
Executive
of
Surfing
New
Zealand,
says
as
October
approaches,
excitement
is
building
throughout
New
Zealand’s
surfing
community.
“We
know
the
challenge
awaiting
the
team
in
El
Salvador
is
considerable.
The
ISA
World
Longboard
Championships
attract
the
very
best
surfers
from
around
the
globe,
representing
nations
with
decades
of
investment
and
international
experience,”
Kennings
says.
“Yet
there
is
a
growing
sense
that
this
young
New
Zealand
squad
is
capable
of
something
special.
“They
possess
national
titles,
international
rankings,
World
Tour
experience,
and
a
fearless
approach
that
comes
from
growing
up
in
one
of
the
world’s
most
respected
surfing
nations.
We
are
looking
forward
to
watching
them
show
their
wares
on
the
global
stage.”
Meanwhile,
global
real
estate
and
professional
services
firm
Colliers
has
been
announced
as
the
team’s
naming
rights
sponsor
for
the
event.
Gareth
Fraser,
CEO
of
Colliers
New
Zealand,
says
they
are
excited
to
have
the
chance
to
support
the
national
side
at
the
2026
ISA
World
Longboard
Championships.
“We
wish
these
athletes
all
the
best
as
they
go
and
take
on
the
world.
It’s
inspiring
to
see
these
young
surfers
have
the
ambition
to
go
and
chase
their
dreams,”
Fraser
says.
Swiss-Belhotel
International
which
has
a
large
presence
in
Indonesia
and
strong
links
back
to
New
Zealand
and
Taranaki
is
also
supporting
the
team
as
its
presenting
sponsor,
Mackersy
Property
has
also
come
onboard
and
is
backing
the
campaign
along
with
Gisborne
based
apparel
company
Wai-Tai
Aotearoa
which
is
creating
and
supplying
custom
designed
official
team
uniforms.
Anyone
who
would
like
to
support
the
team
can
now
donate
@
https://mcmsurf.com/fundraising
Go to Surfing New Zealand
Author: Ben Kennings