TAIRĀWHITI-
GISBORNE,
New
Zealand
(Monday,
September
28,
2026)
–
The
World
Surf
League
(WSL)
will
return
to
Tairāwhiti-
Gisborne
for
the
first
time
since
2011
when
the
region
hosts
the
Tairāwhiti
Pro,
Gisborne,
featuring
Qualifying
Series
(QS)
4000
and
Pro
Junior
competition
from
March
23–29,
2027.
Hosted
by
East
Coast
Surfriders
(ECS),
the
event
will
bring
over
200
surfers
from
across
the
Asia
Pacific
region
to
compete
at
some
of
the
region’s
renowned
surf
breaks.
The
co-sanctioned
QS
4000
will
provide
surfers
from
both
the
Australia/Oceania
and
Asia
regions
with
the
opportunity
to
earn
all-important
points
towards
Challenger
Series
qualification,
while
the
Pro
Junior
will
offer
the
region’s
best
surfers
aged
20
and
under
the
chance
to
compete
for
a
place
in
the
WSL
World
Junior
Championships.
“The
WSL
is
excited
to
return
to
Tairāwhiti-
Gisborne
after
more
than
15
years
and
bring
both
QS
and
Pro
Junior
competition
to
the
region,”
said
WSL
APAC
Tour
Director
Ty
Sorati.
“Gisborne
has
such
a
strong
surfing
history
and
an
incredible
range
of
high-quality
waves,
so
it’s
great
to
have
the
opportunity
to
showcase
the
area
to
surfers
from
throughout
the
wider
region.
With
valuable
Challenger
Series
and
World
Junior
Championships
qualification
points
on
the
line,
we’re
looking
forward
to
seeing
a
strong
field
of
surfers
once
again
deliver
professional
surfing
competition
to
Tairāwhiti-
Gisborne.”
The
return
of
WSL
competition
to
Tairāwhiti-
Gisborne
has
been
made
possible
through
funding
support
from
Trust
Tairāwhiti
and
corporate
sponsorship.
Trust
Tairāwhiti
Regional
Destination
Manager
Joe
Williams
said
the
Trust’s
funding
support
was
about
more
than
the
competition
itself.
“Hundreds
of
competitors,
their
support
teams
and
spectators
will
spend
time
in
our
region,
supporting
local
accommodation,
hospitality
and
tourism
businesses.
It
will
also
put
Tairāwhiti
and
our
renowned
surf
breaks
in
front
of
an
international
audience
through
the
World
Surf
League,
and,
importantly,
give
our
own
young
surfers
the
chance
to
experience
an
event
of
this
calibre
in
their
own
backyard.”
“We’re
delighted
to
support
the
Tairāwhiti
Pro,”
said
Neil
Paviour-Smith,
Managing
Director
of
Forsyth
Barr.
“Gisborne
and
the
wider
Tairāwhiti
region
have
so
much
to
offer,
and
we’re
proud
to
back
an
event
that
celebrates
local
talent
and
brings
the
world’s
attention
to
this
special
part
of
New
Zealand.”
ECS
Co-Chairs
Amber
Dunn
and
Jay
Quinn
have
attended
multiple
WSL
events,
including
the
recent
Championship
Tour
event
in
Raglan,
and
said
the
experience
inspired
the
idea
of
bringing
professional
surfing
back
to
Tairāwhiti-
Gisborne.
“The
WSL
has
a
formula
for
creating
epic
surfing
events
and
experiences.
They
buzz
with
good
energy
and
enable
the
public
to
get
up
close
and
personal
with
your
surfing
heroes,”
said
Dunn.
“In
Raglan,
our
ECS
Secretary
Amy
Spence
had
a
lightbulb
moment
and
came
up
with
the
idea
of
trying
to
get
Tairāwhiti-
Gisborne
on
the
WSL
event
schedule
–
and
now
here
we
are.
We’ve
made
it
come
true.”
For
Quinn,
a
multiple-time
New
Zealand
Champion
and
former
WSL
competitor,
the
event
represents
an
opportunity
to
showcase
the
depth
of
surfing
talent
and
world-class
waves
that
have
long
defined
the
region.
“In
the
past,
many
local
surfers
competed
on
both
the
WQS
and
Pro
Junior
series,”
said
Quinn.
“Only
three
New
Zealand
surfers
have
ever
made
it
through
the
WQS
up
to
the
Championship
Tour
–
my
brother
Maz
and
Ricardo
Christie,
both
from
Gizzy,
as
well
as
Paige
Hareb.
We
know
this
surfing
excellence
is
connected
to
the
richness
of
world-class
surf
breaks
here
in
Gizzy.”
Dunn,
a
former
national
surfing
champion
and
coastal
scientist,
said
the
concentration
of
high-quality
waves
around
the
city
makes
Tairāwhiti-
Gisborne
an
ideal
location
for
professional
competition.
“We
have
six
world-class
surfing
beach
breaks
and
reef
or
point
breaks
all
within
10-15
minutes
of
our
city
centre
and
clean
offshore
winds
are
the
norm.
We
really
should
be
referred
to
as
the
surfing
capital
of
NZ.”
The
event
will
also
provide
opportunities
for
local
surfers
to
compete
alongside
some
of
the
Asia
Pacific
region’s
leading
talent,
with
wildcard
entries
available
to
local
and
New
Zealand
surfers
across
the
QS
and
Pro
Junior
competitions.
“There
are
so
many
great
things
about
partnering
with
the
WSL
and
bringing
them
to
town,”
said
ECS
Secretary
Amy
Spence.
“The
main
one
being,
our
local
kids
and
other
NZ
surfers
get
wildcard
entries
into
the
contests.
They
get
to
compete
against
the
world’s
best
in
their
home
breaks.”
The
event
is
expected
to
provide
a
significant
opportunity
to
showcase
Tairāwhiti-
Gisborne
to
a
global
audience.
ECS
committee
member
Phil
Matthews
said
the
arrival
of
international
surfers
would
also
provide
an
opportunity
for
competitors
and
visitors
to
experience
the
wider
region.
“These
surfing
events
are
livestreamed
by
the
World
Surf
League
so
our
region,
culture
and
quality
surf
is
going
to
be
seen
all
around
the
world.
This
large
pool
of
competitive
surfers
will
explore
our
place
and
do
things
like
stingray
feeding
at
Dive
Tatapouri,
enjoy
a
local
winery
or
our
local
brewery,
and
we
really
hope
they
take
on
the
infamous
Rere
rockslide.”
Gisborne
Mayor
Rehette
Stoltz
also
welcomed
the
return
of
professional
surfing
to
the
region.
“From
Te
Kuri
a
Paoa
up
to
Makorori
Point,
there
are
so
many
options
available
for
holding
surfing
contests,
and
all
the
natural
beauty
of
our
place
is
going
to
be
shown
to
the
world.
This
is
really
exciting
for
Tairāwhiti.”
The
last
WSL
event
to
be
held
in
Tairāwhiti-
Gisborne
was
in
2011,
when
a
QS
event
was
contested
at
Pines,
Wainui
Beach,
and
Pipe
at
Midway
Beach.
The
return
of
professional
competition
in
2027
will
provide
a
new
opportunity
to
showcase
the
region’s
established
surfing
community
and
high-performance
waves
to
an
international
audience.
ECS
will
announce
further
details
around
the
event
and
community
programming
in
the
coming
months,
including
a
community
information
evening
for
local
residents
and
those
interested
in
getting
involved.
ECS
is
grateful
for
the
support
of
its
foundation
partners,
including
Trust
Tairāwhiti,
Forsyth
Barr,
Barrett
Homes,
Red
Bull,
Bronwyn
Kay
Real
Estate,
Eastland
Port
and
additional
partners
to
be
announced.
The
Tairāwhiti
Pro,
Gisborne,
QS
4000
and
Pro
Junior
will
run
from
March
23–29,
2027,
at
Tairāwhiti-
Gisborne,
New
Zealand.
For
more
information,
please
visit
WorldSurfLeague.com.
Go to Surfing New Zealand
Author: Ben Kennings