Tai Ora Surf School

21/04/2026

🌊 TERM 2 HAUTOA SURF PROGRAMME 2026 – WE’RE ON! 🌞

Nau mai, haere mai e te whānau!

Nau mai, haere mai whānau! Firstly, ngā mihi nui - thank you for your patience — we apologise for the delay in getting our kaupapa up and running this year. We’re stoked to now be able to bring it back to the moana with you all 💙

We’re excited to welcome everyone into our 10-week Term 2 programme, kicking off 02/03 May 2026 at either Kaiaua–Tārārahake or Hoturangi (Ūawa Wharf) 🙌

This term we have two awesome pathways for our tamariki/rangatahi:

🟡 Hautoa – Tiaki Tai Tamariki (Ages 5–11)
Supported by Te Whare Hauora o Te Aitanga a Hauiti (Tēnā anō koutou!)

🔵 Hautoa – Tiaki Tai Rangatahi (Ages 12–24)
Supported by Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Toa Rangatira (Tēnā koutou!)

Our programmes are grounded in a kaupapa Māori approach, using our Tātai Arowai Framework centered on the Mātaiao approach to guide learning and connection with the taiao 🌿
Surfing and water safety are our platform to build confidence, awareness, and respect for Tangaroa 🌊

📲 Register your interest now:
👉 https://forms.gle/p7CV3a7admEzUMXP8

📷 Or simply scan the QR code on the poster.
✔️ You can register more than one child per form.

⚠️ Limited spaces available – get in quick!
We start next weekend, but late registrations are welcome if spaces allow.

If you have any pātai:
💬 Flick us a message
📧 Or email: [email protected]

Let’s get back into it whānau – learning, surfing, and thriving together 💙

23/02/2026

Fuweeeeeei'm in lol

Get your entry in soon especially if you're a longboard fan.

11/01/2026

PĀNUI | MIHI NUI

A huge thank you to our amazing Tai Ora Water Safety Crew for the mahi you do to keep our community safe around the TBAS Pool 🌊🛟

We are truly grateful for your service, commitment, and care for our whānau.
Special mihi to: 👉
👉
👉 and our upcoming Waterman,

Your dedication does not go unnoticed — thank you for always showing up for our people.

Ngā mihi nui
Kerehama

03/01/2026

🌧️ŪAWA CIVIL DEFENCE PĀNUI⛈️

If you are, or you know someone who is, stuck on the 35 due to road closures - please head to our Civil Defence Base here in Ūawa @ Tolaga Bay Area School.

Be safe whānau!

CIVIL DEFENCE BASE OPEN

The Uawa Civil Defence Base is open at the school for any wayward travellers who are stuck due to the closure of SH 35. Please direct them our way.

24/12/2025

🎄🌊 Meri Kirihimete e te whānau! 🌊🎄

Wishing all our amazing Tai Ora surfers, our surfing community, our whānau and wider community a safe, restful and harikoa Christmas break.

To all our supporters, stakeholders, partners and organisations who have helped to keep the Tai Ora kaupapa moving forward this year — Have a well deserved, well earned break everyone!!

We hope the days ahead are filled with sunshine, saltwater, laughter and time together with your whānau and friends 💛

Thank you for being part of our Tai Ora whānau this year — we’re so grateful for the aroha, positive vibes and support that surrounds this kaupapa. Thank you all!

✨ Keep an eye out in the next few days — we’ll be sharing our Summer Holiday Plan very shortly, and we can’t wait to get back in the moana with you all.

In the meantime, kia harikoa te whakataa! Enjoy the break, stay safe, and see you soon 🌞🏄‍♀️
—
Tai Ora Surf School | East Coast

22/11/2025

🌧️ HAUTOA SURF – SUNDAY POSTPONED 🌧️

Kia ora e te whānau,

Due to today’s unsettled weather forecast — including heavy showers, possible thunder, and hail — we’ve made the call to postpone all Sunday classes (Kotare, Tūturiwhatu & Tōrea). Your safety, and the safety of our tamariki and whānau, will always come first. 💙

We’ve attached a screen recording from the Windy app showing the expected arrival of the weather system. With conditions like these, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

👉 A make-up class will be organised towards the end of the term for our Sunday surfers so no one misses out. We’ll confirm details with you soon.

Thank you for your understanding and flexibility — enjoy a warm, safe day with your whānau. We’ll be back in the surf soon. 🌊💙

13/11/2025

Looking forward to seeing our whānau in the waves again.
🤙🏄‍♂️🏄‍♀️☀️🌊

12/11/2025

🎉🌊 HARI HURITAU MATUA KERE! 🌊

Happy Birthday to our number one coach, our main man, the machine behind Tai Ora Surf School!
Thank you for the mahi, the laughs, the group photos and all the waves you’ve helped our whānau catch.

We appreciate you every day — hope you had an epic one.🤙🏄‍♂️

07/11/2025

🌊 We’re back at Kaiaua today! 🌞

🏄‍♂️ Hautoa Surfing – for registered surfers only.
🌿 Tiaki Tahuna – open to anyone keen to help care for our dunes and coastline!

It’s going to be a hot one, so please bring:
🧢 Hat
🥤 Water bottle
🌞 Sunscreen
👕 Light clothing
🧤 Gloves (if you have them)

Meet us down at Kaiaua - Look for our flags – come be part of the kaupapa, whether you’re surfing or helping to protect our taiao! 💚

06/11/2025

🌿 Tiaki Tahuna Update – Important Notice! 🌿

Kia ora e te whānau 🌞
There will be no Tiaki Tahuna session this Friday, 7 November.
As we move into the hotter months, we’re shifting our kaupapa to the weekend!
From now on, Tiaki Tahuna will run on Saturdays and Sundays only.
📍 Locations will rotate between:
- Kaiaua
- Ūawa Beach (north of the river mouth)
- Tolaga Bay Wharf

- Come join us to be good kaitieki of our dunes and coastlines — you can choose the day that suits you best! 💛
- Keep an eye on our page for weekend updates, times, and meeting spots.

29/10/2025

🌾🌊 KŌWHANGATARA – SPINIFEX HEADING! 🌊🌾

Kia ora e te whānau,

If you’ve been walking along our dunes lately, you might’ve noticed established kōwhangatara (spinifex) plants starting to head — and that’s an exciting sign of a healthy dune system! 💛

✨ What does “heading” mean?
When kōwhangatara head, they produce round, spiky seed heads that look like little tumbleweeds. These heads form on long stems that stretch above the plant, turning from green to golden straw as they mature.

💨 Why is heading so important?
When the seed heads are ready, the wind snaps them free and rolls them along the beach — scattering seeds as they go! Each seed has the potential to grow into a new plant, expanding our dune coverage and helping restore natural sand movement along the coast.

🌿 What does kōwhangatara do for the dunes?
Kōwhangatara is a coastal guardian plant — a native sand binder that:
🌬️ Traps and stabilises shifting sands
🏖️ Builds new dune ridges over time
🌱 Protects inland areas from erosion and salt spray
🪶 Creates safe habitat for nesting seabirds like the tūturiwhatu (NZ dotterel) and tōrea (oystercatcher)

🌼 What we can do right now:
👉🏽 Avoid trampling or disturbing kōwhangatara while it’s heading
👉🏽 Don’t collect the seed heads unless you're interested in growing kowhangatara for Tiaki Tāhuna — let them roll and spread naturally
👉🏽 Keep vehicles and dogs off the dunes to protect seedlings and nests.

This is one of those times when our tāhuna is doing it's own restoration mahi — all we need to do is give it space 🌬️💚