Red Bull's Made In: New Zealand

The future of Kiwi surfing, Māori Kehu Butler, examines his culture’s past and his country’s surfing history as Made In: New Zealand travels around the Land of the Long White Cloud.

12min

Skipping class and surfing go hand in hand. It’s a common story that varies slightly from culture to culture and surfer to surfer. While we aren’t advocates of skipping class for a session, we’d be lying if we didn’t say that it is what built the country of New Zealand’s early days of surfing history. The second installment of “Made in New Zealand,” dives into the history of NZ’s surfing scene and culture with a handful of pioneers of the Kiwi scene. From homemade water-housing that captured some of the earliest New Zealand surf to meteorology equipment to help with wave predictions, it’s clear that even at one of the southernmost points of the world, the obsessive love for surfing burned as bright as in California or Hawaii.

12min

With every sport, the torch is eventually passed. The change of the guard occurs and the next generation of talent steps up to the plate to carry on the work those of the past have done. In a world of progressive surfing that seems to evolve by the minute, we’re left wondering: What’s next for New Zealand’s surf community? While we’ll let the video speak for itself, it’s safe to say that the future is in good hands. With a unique cast of surfers like Kehu Butler, Paige Hareb, and a handful of other standouts, New Zealand has proved that there is no ceiling to the talent level this tight-knit crew possesses. Dive in for the third and final installment of “Made in New Zealand,” as we ride shotgun with the current generation of Kiwi rippers and learn more about their future in surfing.

15min