The Herstory of AWSA
The Aotearoa Women’s Surfing Association (AWSA), formerly known as the New Zealand Women’s Surfing Association (NZWSA), was established in 1977 and born from a need for women’s advocacy in the sport of surfing here in Aotearoa.
The collective was started by a small group of women inspired by a visit from the late Rell Kapolioka’ehukai Sunn. Rell is recognised as being one of Hawaii’s greatest surfing icons alongside Duke Kahanamoku. She had been competing in one of the newly established International Professional Surfing (IPS) world circuit events at Bells Beach and popped across the ditch to connect with the local surfing community of Aotearoa, with whom she had friends within.
Rell demanded equal respect on the women’s world tour and co-founded the Women’s International Surfing Association (WISA) in 1975. The association was committed to advocating for women’s participation in surfing and having an equal share of the booming surf industry’s profits. This is one of many passions embodied by Rell, alongside being a DJ, hula instructor, freediver, youth advocate, contest diretor, black belt in karate, cancer research guide, teacher and lifeguard, to name a few. Rell was, and still remains, an inspiration within the global surfing community today. There is no wonder to why she was known as the Queen of Makaha.
NZWSA took on similiar values, advocating for women in surfing on the shores of Aotearoa. Imagine receiving a bodyboard for winning a surfing contest. This is just one example of what women paving the way in the professional realm of surfing were dealing with at the time. Without this feather ruffling, locally and internationally, we may not be seeing women’s surfing as respected as it is becoming today.
The first AWSA logo was the original NZWSA logo from 1977 and was designed by the late Ross Guy, surfer and one of Aotearoa’s highly passionate conservationists responsible for the establishment of Project Jonah. This initiative led the anti-whaling movement in the early 1970s. Ross was a great supporter of the NZWSA at the time of establishment. The logo is believed to be a silhouette of Rell Sunn, which feels like a special connection to have in relation to the whakapapa of Aotearoa itself and linkage to surfing’s roots.
NZWSA Logo from 1977
A combination of priority changes for those involved in NZWSA and a determination to work with the national surfing body to promote equity mean’t the NZWSA ebbed a few years later. It has been suggested that the attempt made to work alongside the national surfing body back then was clouded by gender politics and mean’t the need for a women’s advocacy group was critical. Having a tokenistic women’s representative is not equity.
Although the surfing community in Aotearoa and internationally are certainly making changes to the way women and girls are viewed in the sport of surfing, there is still much work to be done. Representation of wāhine and kōtiro in surfing within Aotearoa and abroad will benefit from being led by women and girls, hence why AWSA has relit the fire established by our foremothers.
Whilst on the journey to learn more about Aotearoa’s foremothers in Surfing, a lot of rich herstory has surfaced. I believe there are important kōrero to have documented for now and future generations. By no means is this an extensive herstory of women’s surfing in Aotearoa - it is merely the beginning of an honest view through a woman’s lens into the past and may offer the surfing community, as a whole, some understanding of our authentic place amidst the waves.
Stay tuned for more raw and unedited conversations about “women coming out of the kitchen and into mainstream surfing,” Janice Cranch, in Aotearoa.
Informed by Janice Cranch, Jonette Mead and Pauline Pullman.
Written by Daisy Thomas