Surf’s up for qualifying series event at St Clair in March

Some of the best surfers from the Asia-Pacific region will descend on Dunedin in March after the city was announced as part of the World Surf League circuit. From March 16-21, St Clair Beach will play host to the World Surf League (WSL) Dunedin Pro QS4000 and Junior Pro competitions. The event will be part of the WSL Qualifying Series, where New Zealand’s best will take on elite surfers from Asia-Pacific to achieve up to 4000 qualifying points. It is expected about 200 surfers will head to Dunedin to compete on what is seen as one of the best city surf breaks in the country. Dunedin Mayor Sophie Barker said the event was an exciting addition to the Dunedin events calendar and would showcase the city’s amazing coast and urban surf break. “Few places in New Zealand have a main surf beach as central as St Clair. The competition will put Dunedin in front of thousands of fans, over broadcast and in person, who maybe hadn’t considered us for their next surfing holiday,” she said. “This is a fantastic opportunity to see some of New Zealand’s and the world’s top surfers compete right at our doorstep.” She said Dunedin was a great surfing city and both Dunedin residents and visitors to the city loved to get out to any one of the 30 beaches within 30 minutes of Dunedin. “We look forward to welcoming them and their families and friends to our stunning beaches, invite them to explore our diverse experiences, indulge in our quality eateries and discover what makes our city special.” Surfing New Zealand chairman Jimi Higgins, of Dunedin, said it was a huge deal for the city. “And for surfing — it’s actually going to give our competitors more opportunities to become professional and get on the world tour.” The South Island championships would lead into the event and he expected it would also feature live music, a market day and food stalls. WSL Asia-Pacific tour director Ty Sorati said the WSL was excited to bring the qualifying series and pro junior competition back to New Zealand, especially to such a fresh and exciting location as Dunedin’s St Clair Beach. “St Clair is such a great venue with high-quality waves. We’re looking forward to seeing New Zealand’s best surfers, along with the best surfers from across the region, competing right in the heart of Dunedin.” Surfers who succeed at the qualifying series will then move to the challenger series to compete against international surfers. If they do well there they will head to the top echelon of WSL. Enterprise Dunedin acting destination manager Teresa Fogarty said the event was intended to become a regular fixture for Dunedin, drawing thousands of people each time. “The plan is for the event to become New Zealand’s premier surf festival,” she said. Surf tourism was one of the fastest-growing areas of global tourism. It is estimated the event will contribute $4.16 million to the Dunedin economy on an annual basis, including $3.05m in visitor expenditure generated from more than 2500 projected visitors, comprising 2000-plus domestic visitors and 550-plus international visitors. The event is supported by the Dunedin City Council’s events procurement funding, which was approved as part of the festivals and events plan. It is to be organised by the Major Events Group. No central government event fund money was sourced for the event. Gold Coast surfer Marlon Harrison said he was “frothing” to be part of it. “I’ve never been to Dunedin, but the waves look insane and the vibe looks incredible.” — Additional reporting by Grant Miller

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