Māori Surfing: The Long History of Whakahekeheke in Aotearoa
Ask most people where surfing began and you will probably hear the name Hawaii.
And there is good reason for that.
Surfing has deep roots across Polynesia, and Hawaiʻi developed one of the world's most sophisticated surfing cultures.
But surfing has another important history that deserves to be better known.
Māori were wave riders too.
Long before surfing became an international sport, before fibreglass boards, wetsuits, surf competitions and surf brands, Māori were riding waves around the coast of Aotearoa.
The practice of wave riding is known as whakahekeheke.
And understanding that history gives us another way of understanding the Māori relationship with the moana.
Because for Māori, the ocean has never simply been somewhere to look at.
It has been a place of travel.
A source of kai.
A place of recreation.
A place of knowledge.
A place of whakapapa.
And, for generations, a place to ride waves.
What Is Whakahekeheke?
Whakahekeheke is the Māori term associated with surfing or wave riding.
Te Ara – The Encyclopedia of New Zealand records that when Europeans arrived in Aotearoa during the nineteenth century, they observed Māori surfing using boards known as kōpapa, logs, canoes and even kelp bags. Māori also practised body surfing.
That is an extraordinary detail.
Because it tells us that wave riding in Aotearoa wasn't simply a modern activity imported from somewhere else.
It was already part of coastal life.
People knew how to enter the surf.
They knew how to read waves.
They knew how to use the shape and movement of the ocean.
And they enjoyed the experience of riding it.
Surfing Before the Surfboard Shop
It's worth imagining what surfing looked like before the modern surfboard existed.
There were no foam blanks.
No epoxy.
No leg ropes.
No traction pads.
No surf forecasts on your phone.
No board bags.
No wetsuits.
No surf schools.
And certainly no online surf shops.
Instead, Māori wave riders worked with what was available in their environment.
Wood.
Canoes.
The human body.
And the waves themselves.
Te Ara records that Māori used kōpapa, logs and canoes for wave riding and also practised bodysurfing.
The technology was different.
The relationship with the ocean was not.
Surfing Was Part of a Much Bigger Relationship With the Sea
This is perhaps the most important point.
It would be easy to look at traditional Māori surfing and treat it as an interesting historical footnote.
But surfing existed within a much wider Māori relationship with the marine environment.
We've already explored this in our articles about Māori ocean navigation, maramataka, kaitiakitanga and kaimoana.
These subjects aren't isolated.
They overlap.
A person who understood the ocean as a source of food also had reason to understand its tides, currents, weather and seasonal changes.
A navigator had to read the ocean.
A fisher had to read the ocean.
Someone gathering shellfish had to understand the tide.
And someone riding waves needed to understand the movement of the sea.
Different activities required different knowledge, but they all encouraged close observation of the same environment.
The Māori Child and the Water
Swimming and water confidence were also part of traditional coastal life.
Te Ara records that Māori children traditionally learned to swim from an early age, with children jumping from rocks, racing and playing in small waka or kōpapa.
In areas with significant surf, particularly along the east coast of the North Island, there was a strong tradition of whakahekeheke.
That is particularly interesting for Wai-Tai.
Because the east coast isn't simply somewhere where modern surfing happened to take hold.
The historical record indicates that wave riding was already part of coastal culture here.
The East Coast and the Surf
The east coast of the North Island has always had a powerful relationship with the ocean.
The coastline provides bays, reefs, beaches and river mouths, each producing different conditions.
For generations, people living beside this coast would have had intimate knowledge of its moods.
Where the water was safe.
Where the rocks were exposed.
Where fish could be found.
Where the waves broke.
Where currents ran.
Where children could swim.
Where waka could launch.
And where the ocean demanded respect.
That familiarity is one of the things that makes surfing in Aotearoa so deeply connected to place.
A wave isn't simply a wave.
It belongs to a particular coastline.
And that coastline has its own history.
Surfing and the Māori Relationship With the Moana
The Ministry for the Environment's Our Marine Environment 2025 report describes the moana as central to Māori whakapapa, tikanga and cultural identity. It specifically identifies activities including waka voyaging, ocean navigation and gathering kaimoana as expressions of these relationships.
Surfing belongs within this wider picture.
Not because every act of surfing should automatically be described as a traditional cultural practice.
But because Māori have a long history of engaging with the ocean in many different ways.
Surfing is one of them.
And contemporary Māori surfers continue that relationship in a very different context.
What Happened to Māori Surfing?
If Māori were surfing before European arrival, why don't we hear more about it?
There are several reasons.
Te Ara records that the practice of Māori surfing declined during the nineteenth century, including in the context of missionary influence and changing expectations around behaviour and dress.
This is an important reminder that cultural practices don't exist in isolation from history.
Colonisation changed many aspects of Māori life.
Language.
Land ownership.
Economic systems.
Education.
Religion.
Access to resources.
And relationships with traditional practices.
Surfing was one of many activities affected by these broader changes.
The Return of Modern Surfing
Surfing eventually returned to popularity in Aotearoa in a modern form.
One particularly important figure was Hawaiian Olympic swimmer and surfer Duke Kahanamoku.
In 1915, Kahanamoku travelled to New Zealand and demonstrated surfing at locations including Muriwai, Lyall Bay and New Brighton. His demonstrations helped inspire a renewed interest in surfing.
From there, surfing developed throughout the twentieth century.
Wooden boards eventually gave way to lighter designs.
Boards became shorter.
Surfing became more manoeuvrable.
Surf clubs developed.
Surf lifesaving became an important part of coastal culture.
And surfing eventually became a major recreational and competitive sport in New Zealand.
From Wooden Boards to Modern Surfboards
The evolution of surfboards changed the experience dramatically.
Early twentieth-century surfers rode heavy wooden boards.
Later developments in materials made boards lighter and easier to manoeuvre.
By the 1960s, shorter boards became increasingly popular, opening up new possibilities for turning and manoeuvring in waves.
Modern surfing eventually became a global sport.
But the fundamental challenge remained unchanged.
You still have to read the ocean.
You still have to understand the wave.
And you still have to accept that the ocean ultimately decides what happens next.
Māori Surfers in Modern Aotearoa
Māori haven't simply been part of the history of surfing.
They have also played an important role in modern New Zealand surfing.
Te Ara identifies Māori champions and professional surfers including Lisa Hurunui and Daniel Kereopa, along with national champions such as Morehu Roberts and Airini Mason. It also records the development of Māori surfing clubs, competitions and the Auahi Kore Māori Surfing Team.
Daniel Kereopa wearing a Wai-Tai t-shirt at a press conference for the WSL in Raglan in 2026
In fact Wai-Tai's very own Raniera Procter is a 7 time NZ National longboard champion!
More recently we have had Maori professional surfers like Richard Christie competing on the world tour and Kehu Butler who is now a professional free surfer.
That history matters.
Because it demonstrates that Māori participation in surfing isn't just something from the distant past.
It is part of contemporary surfing culture in Aotearoa.
Māori Surfing Has Its Own Identity
Surfing has become an international culture.
You can find surfers from California to Cornwall, Indonesia to Ireland, Australia to Japan.
There are common elements everywhere.
The boards.
The waves.
The line-up.
The search for good conditions.
The feeling of getting a clean wave.
But surfing also develops its own identity in different places.
New Zealand has its own surfing culture.
And within that culture, Māori surfers and Māori communities have developed their own identities, organisations, designs and expressions.
Te Ara notes the existence of Māori surfing clubs and competitions and the use of Māori designs in customised surfboards and clothing.
This is where the story becomes particularly relevant to Wai-Tai.
Shop Wai-Tai Maori design boardshorts
Surfing and Contemporary Māori Expression
Culture isn't frozen in time.
One of the mistakes people can make when learning about Māori culture is imagining that something is only genuinely Māori if it existed exactly the same way hundreds of years ago.
That's not how living cultures work.
Māori today live in the modern world.
They surf.
They compete.
They create music.
They design clothing.
They work in technology.
They build businesses.
They produce art.
They tell stories through new media.
And they continue to connect those contemporary activities to identity, whakapapa and place.
Surfing is part of that contemporary expression.
Where Wai-Tai Fits Into This Story
This is one of the reasons we created Wai-Tai Aotearoa.
Wai-Tai comes from a group of five friends who share a strong connection to the ocean.
We're surfers.
We're connected to the East Coast.
And we're part of a generation of Māori who can move comfortably between the traditional and the contemporary.
Our clothing isn't an attempt to recreate historical Māori dress.
It's contemporary surfwear.
But it is surfwear that draws inspiration from Māori ideas, symbols, the natural environment and our connection to the moana.
That distinction matters.
We aren't trying to dress like the past.
We're creating something that belongs to Māori life today.
Māori Design and the Moana
The ocean provides a natural source of inspiration for Wai-Tai.
Our designs draw from marine forms and ideas that have meaning within the wider relationship between Māori and the natural world.
The Whai is inspired by the stingray.
The Mangōpare draws inspiration from the hammerhead shark.
The Kaitiaki concept speaks to guardianship and our responsibility toward the natural world.
These aren't simply decorative images.
They give us an opportunity to start conversations.
A person might see a design and ask:
What does that mean?
Why a stingray?
Why a shark?
What does kaitiakitanga mean?
What does this symbol represent?
And that question can become the beginning of learning.
Inspired by the stingray and the life of the moana, explore the Wai-Tai Whai collection.
Explore Mangōpare, one of the marine-inspired designs within the Wai-Tai range.
Surfing Isn't Just About Riding Waves
For surfers, the appeal of surfing can be difficult to explain to someone who doesn't surf.
Why get up before sunrise?
Why drive for an hour looking for better waves?
Why sit in cold water?
Why paddle out when the conditions are difficult?
Why obsess over forecasts?
Why spend so much time watching the ocean?
The answer isn't simply the feeling of standing on a board.
Surfing changes the way you observe the sea.
Learning to Read the Ocean
A surfer gradually learns to recognise patterns.
Wind direction.
Tide.
Swell direction.
Swell period.
Wave shape.
Currents.
Sand movement.
Reefs.
Weather.
The position of the sun.
And the behaviour of the ocean at a particular beach.
It can take years to really understand a coastline.
And even then, the ocean can surprise you.
This process of learning to read the sea has an interesting connection with the environmental observation we've explored in other Wai-Tai Journal articles.
Traditional Māori knowledge systems also placed enormous importance on careful observation of the natural world.
The Ministry for the Environment notes that mātauranga Māori includes generations of environmental observation and that such knowledge continues to evolve as environmental conditions change.
The contexts are different.
But the principle of paying attention to the environment is a powerful common thread.
The Ocean Teaches Humility
Every surfer eventually learns this.
You can't control the ocean.
You can improve your technique.
You can choose your equipment.
You can study the forecast.
You can understand the break.
You can become fitter.
But you cannot make the wave arrive.
You cannot control the wind.
You cannot command the tide.
And you cannot remove all the risks associated with the sea.
You have to work with what the ocean gives you.
That requires humility.
And perhaps that is another reason surfing can become such a powerful relationship with the moana.
The ocean is always bigger than you.
Surfing and Kaitiakitanga
This also creates an obvious connection with kaitiakitanga.
If you spend hundreds or thousands of hours in the ocean, you become intimately aware of the environment.
You notice changes.
You see marine life.
You see pollution.
You notice changes to beaches and reefs.
You experience storms.
You see erosion.
You notice when a favourite break changes.
And you become invested in keeping the coastline healthy.
A surfer might enter the ocean for a wave.
But the longer they spend there, the more they understand that the wave depends upon an entire ecosystem.
Healthy Surfing Depends on a Healthy Ocean
This is not simply a cultural idea.
It is practical.
Surfing needs beaches.
Beaches need functioning coastal systems.
Reefs and sandbars shape waves.
Clean water protects swimmers and surfers.
Marine ecosystems support the broader health of coastal environments.
The Ministry for the Environment identifies significant pressures on Aotearoa's marine environment from human activity and climate change.
So when we talk about protecting the moana, we're not talking about something abstract.
We're protecting the place where we surf.
The place where people swim.
The place where children learn about the ocean.
The place where people gather kaimoana.
The place where waka travel.
And the place that has connected Māori communities with the sea for generations.
Surfing and Whanaungatanga
Surfing can also create whanaungatanga — relationships and connection between people.
Think about what happens at a local surf break.
People share waves.
They help each other.
Older surfers teach younger surfers.
Parents take their children to the beach.
Friends travel together.
Surfers watch out for one another.
Local knowledge is passed around.
A break can become a meeting place.
That social side of surfing is easy to overlook because the sport looks individual.
One person is standing on one board.
But surfing culture is often highly communal.
Passing Knowledge From One Generation to the Next
This is another strong connection to our wider Wai-Tai story.
Knowledge isn't valuable only because it exists.
It becomes valuable when it is passed on.
A parent teaches a child how to read the ocean.
An older surfer explains where the rip runs.
Someone explains how to respect the local break.
Someone teaches another person how to fish.
A kaumātua shares knowledge of a place.
A story is told again.
A language is used.
A practice continues.
This intergenerational transfer of knowledge is a recurring theme in discussions of mātauranga Māori and the marine environment. The Ministry for the Environment notes that environmental knowledge and practices passed between generations can be affected when marine ecosystems and culturally significant species decline.
From Whakahekeheke to Competitive Surfing
Modern surfing is obviously very different from traditional Māori wave riding.
Today there are professional competitions, judging criteria, surf forecasts, specialised equipment and international tours.
But there is still something recognisable at its heart.
A person sees a wave.
They paddle.
They catch it.
They stand.
They ride.
And for a few seconds, they are moving with the ocean.
The equipment has changed.
The culture around the activity has changed.
The technology has changed.
But the basic interaction remains remarkably simple.
Person. Board. Wave. Moana.
Māori Surfing Today
Te Ara notes that Māori surfers have achieved significant success in modern competitive surfing and that Māori-specific clubs and competitions have developed alongside mainstream surfing.
That is an important part of the story.
Māori surfing isn't simply a historical curiosity.
It is a living part of the surfing landscape.
And it continues to evolve.
Today's Māori surfer can carry multiple identities simultaneously.
Surfer.
Māori.
Competitor.
Parent.
Artist.
Fisher.
Ocean lover.
Community member.
There is no contradiction between these things.
Why This History Matters
Knowing that Māori practised whakahekeheke before European arrival changes the way we understand surfing in Aotearoa.
It challenges the idea that surfing arrived here as a completely foreign activity.
It puts Māori firmly within the history of New Zealand surfing.
And it gives Māori surfers another connection to the ocean that stretches beyond the modern surfboard.
But perhaps most importantly, it reminds us that the relationship between Māori and the sea is much broader than any single activity.
Surfing is one thread within a much larger story.
The Moana Connects the Stories
Think about everything we've explored in The Wai-Tai Journal so far.
Waka.
Navigation.
Maramataka.
Kaimoana.
Kaitiakitanga.
Mātauranga Māori.
Surfing.
These aren't separate subjects.
They all lead back to the moana.
The ocean provided pathways for voyaging.
It provided food.
It provided knowledge.
It provided recreation.
It connected communities.
And it continues to shape identity in Aotearoa today.
Wai-Tai: Surfing With a Sense of Place
This is ultimately what Wai-Tai is about.
We aren't simply putting Māori designs onto surf clothing.
We are creating contemporary clothing from a place and culture where the ocean has enormous significance.
Our connection with the sea is lived.
It's in the waves we surf.
The coastlines we know.
The fish we catch.
The people we share the water with.
The designs we create.
And the conversations we want to start.
That's why the Wai-Tai Journal exists.
We want to explore the stories behind the ocean, Māori culture, surfing and the East Coast in a way that is informative, respectful and relevant to life in Aotearoa today.
From Whakahekeheke to Wai-Tai
There is a direct line between a Māori child riding waves generations ago and a Māori surfer paddling out today.
Not a line of identical equipment.
Not an unchanged tradition.
And not a claim that modern surfing is exactly the same practice.
It is something more interesting.
It is a continuing relationship with the moana.
The tools change.
The language evolves.
The boards become lighter.
The wetsuits become warmer.
The competitions become bigger.
But the ocean remains.
And Māori continue to surf it.
The Next Generation
Perhaps the most important part of this story isn't what happened hundreds of years ago.
It's what happens next.
A child standing on a beach today might become a surfer.
They might learn to fish.
They might learn about their local coastline.
They might hear stories from their grandparents.
They might learn te reo Māori.
They might discover the meaning behind a traditional design.
They might become a kaitiaki.
Or they might simply develop a lifelong respect for the ocean.
That is how a relationship continues.
Not by freezing it in the past.
But by allowing it to live.
The Future of Māori Surfing
The future of Māori surfing belongs to the people who are in the water now and the generations who follow.
It will include competition.
It will include recreation.
It will include surf schools.
It will include Māori surf clubs like our local Ngati Porou Surf Lifesaving Club.
It will include contemporary Māori art and design.
It will include new generations learning about whakapapa and place.
And, hopefully, it will continue to include a strong relationship with the moana itself.
Because surfing is only possible when there is a healthy ocean to surf.
A Culture That Keeps Moving
Māori culture has never been static.
It has always adapted to new environments, new circumstances and new generations.
That is part of what makes the history of whakahekeheke so interesting.
Māori rode waves in Aotearoa before modern surfing existed.
Surfing later changed dramatically.
Māori surfers became part of modern competitive surfing.
And today, Māori surf culture continues to evolve.
Wai-Tai is one small part of that contemporary story.
We make clothing for people who live around the moana.
People who surf.
People who fish.
People who love the coast.
People who are proud of where they come from.
And people who want to carry a little bit of that connection with them wherever they go.
The Wave Changes. The Moana Remains.
A wave arrives.
It rises.
It breaks.
It disappears.
Another one follows.
That might be the perfect metaphor for surfing culture itself.
The equipment changes.
The people change.
The styles change.
The language changes.
The culture evolves.
But the moana remains at the centre of it all.
For Māori, that relationship reaches deep into whakapapa, mātauranga, tikanga and identity.
For surfers, it can become something deeply personal.
For Wai-Tai, it is the inspiration behind what we do.
The wave changes. The moana remains.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Māori surf before Europeans arrived in Aotearoa?
Yes. Historical accounts recorded by Te Ara describe Māori wave riding before European arrival, including the use of wooden boards or kōpapa, logs, canoes and bodysurfing.
What is whakahekeheke?
Whakahekeheke is a Māori term associated with surfing or wave riding. Traditional Māori wave riding included several forms of riding waves using boards, logs, waka and the body.
Did Māori children traditionally swim?
Yes. Te Ara records that Māori children traditionally learned to swim from an early age and took part in activities including jumping from rocks, racing and playing in small waka.
Is surfing a traditional Māori activity?
Māori practised wave riding before European arrival, but modern surfing is also a contemporary international sport. It is more accurate to recognise traditional Māori whakahekeheke as part of the wider history of wave riding while recognising that modern surfing has developed considerably since then.
Are there Māori professional surfers?
Yes. Te Ara identifies Māori surfers including Lisa Hurunui and Daniel Kereopa among successful Māori surfers, alongside national champions such as Morehu Roberts and Airini Mason. Outside of the information provided by Te Ara we have more recent professional Maori surfers like Mahia's Richard Christie and Tauranga Moana's Kehu Butler.
What does surfing have to do with kaitiakitanga?
Surfing creates a direct relationship with the marine environment. While surfing itself shouldn't automatically be characterised as kaitiakitanga, surfers depend upon healthy oceans and coastlines and can develop a strong interest in protecting them.
Why is surfing important to Wai-Tai?
Wai-Tai is a contemporary Māori surfwear brand created by five close friends with a strong connection to the ocean and East Coast. Surfing is therefore central to the environment and lifestyle that inspires the brand.
Keep Exploring The Wai-Tai Journal
If you enjoyed this story, there are several natural next steps:
Māori Ocean Navigation: How Waka, Stars and Nature Guided Pacific Voyagers
Explore the extraordinary knowledge behind Māori and Polynesian navigation.
Maramataka: The Māori Lunar Calendar and the Rhythm of the Natural World
Discover how lunar and seasonal observations connect people with the environment.
Kaitiakitanga: Understanding Māori Guardianship of the Moana
Explore the deeper relationship between people, responsibility and the marine environment.
Kaimoana: Māori Seafood, Fishing and the Deep Connection to the Moana
Discover how fishing, food gathering, mātauranga and the health of the ocean are connected.
Explore Wai-Tai
Sources & Further Reading
This article has been researched using reputable New Zealand reference sources, particularly:
- Te Ara – The Encyclopedia of New Zealand: The rise of surfing
- Te Ara – The Encyclopedia of New Zealand: Beach recreation
- Te Ara – The Encyclopedia of New Zealand: Surfing: 1970s to today
- Te Ara – The Encyclopedia of New Zealand: Lifesaving and surfing
- New Zealand Ministry for the Environment: Our Marine Environment 2025
- New Zealand Ministry for the Environment: Our Marine Environment 2022
- New Zealand Ministry for the Environment: Mātauranga Māori and the Ministry