More than a sport: Surf culture and wellbeing
Photo by Petra Granny
In Aotearoa, all roads lead to the coast, meaning we're never more than 130 kilometres from the ocean. This makes it unsurprising that New Zealand is home to an estimated 145,000 surfers -- roughly one in every 27 people. Since 2020, this number has been on the rise, with a decrease in team sport in schools seeing an elevation in the number of youth participating in board riding, according to a New Zealand Herald article. While many see sports as a way to burn energy, get rid of aggression and build physical strength, surfing is making waves as a sport that promotes hauora, fosters community and enhances wellbeing - a therapeutic force and cultural phenomenon.
While it may not have a team focus, it’s highly social, each coastal community having their own unique sense of place and surf culture evident in areas such as Mt Maunganui, Piha, Raglan and Sumner.
Tammi Martin and her husband Matt founded Surfwise surf school in 2017. Located in Waikuku Beach, the school focuses on the holistic benefits of interacting with the ocean.
Through the hauora model, Tammi and Matt focus on using surfing to support the four sides of Te Whare Tapa Whā, a tangata whenua concept for wellbeing.
The first side of the whare, Taha Wairua, concentrates on spirituality. “It’s undeniable that when you step into the ocean there’s a life force, a mauri or energy,” says Tammi. Because of its connection to nature, surfing naturally fosters kaitiakitanga, with locals becoming guardians of their break lines, participating in beach cleanups and advocating for marine protection. Through building deep relationships with the earth, surfing can go further than court time and the ref’s whistle, contributing to the creation of thriving communities.
Taha Tinana focuses on physical health, evidently supported through the gross motor sequence of movements surfing encompasses, as well as immersion in an unpredictable environment.
The third wall, Taha Whānau, is supported through surf culture by what Tammi refers to as “a really wonderful surf community where people know one another’s faces and recognise each other by name. They surf together, they share waves, there’s a lovely healthy culture in the water.”
Finally, Taha Hinengaro explores mental wellbeing, including thoughts, emotions, the mind, heart and conscience. “To be in the ocean we must be mindfully present, it’s a spontaneous interaction with nature... it’s very unpredictable.”
According to a surf executive from CUBA, the Canterbury University Boardriders Association, “life gets pretty stressful and overwhelming sometimes… (surfing is) where I can disconnect from the noise and just be present, focusing only on what is happening in the moment and not caring about anything else.”
Beyond teaching people to catch waves, Tammi and Matt also run a number of therapy programs that utilise surfing. “The difference between the two is that when we are delivering therapy programs, they are designed with a specific outcome in mind for a specific group. We are working in a way that enables some kind of pre-planned therapeutic outcome... using the ocean as a space of connection and healing.”
One example of this is the Wāhine Wave Tribe, a group of women aged 18 and above who meet on a Sunday and focus on building skills in the water that then translate into real life. By connecting surf programs to Te Whare Tapa Whā, and tying in all aspects of hauora, these initiatives go beyond physical activity to support participants holistically. They nurture Taha Wairua through the calming presence and mauri of the ocean, Taha Hinengaro by promoting emotional regulation and mindfulness, Taha Tinana through the physical engagement with waves and movement, and Taha Whānau by creating inclusive, supportive communities both in and out of the water.
Surfwise also works with Karanga Mai, the young parents’ college based in Kaiapoi, helping young mothers gain confidence and parenting skills. “...what they’re learning in the water not only helps them to feel better equipped to parent, but also opens the door to them being able to teach their tamariki and pēpē about the healing properties of the moana.” Through initiatives like these, surfing plays a role in creating communities with bettered wellbeing, and leads by example as a sport that takes away the pressure of performance to provide room for learning and growth.
As the tide rises on surf culture across New Zealand, it carries with it a movement where the ocean is used as a space for transformation, therapy and healing. Tammi reflects on a whakataukī used by Surfwise, and one that resonates for all surfers; ko au te moana, ko te moana ko au. I am the ocean, and the ocean is me.