BOWLZILLA Wellington is CANCELLED for 2024

It is with deep regret that we announce the cancellation of BOWLZILLA Wellington for 2024. The current global financial challenges have impacted the ability of BOWLZILLA Wellington to secure the necessary sponsorship funds required to conduct the event successfully. Despite the dedicated efforts of the BOWLZILLA Wellington team, the legacy National Bowl Skating Championships cannot proceed without adequate financial support.

BOWLZILLA Wellington has been a cornerstone of the community for the past eight years, and it is disheartening to make this decision. The BOWLZILLA team takes great pride in supporting local and skater owned businesses and acknowledge the impact this cancellation will have on Wellington's skate economy.

While New Zealand’s National Bowl Skating Championships is on hold for this year, we strongly urge the skate community to rally behind other skater owned and run events such as Mangawhai Bowl Jam and other SBNZ (Skateboarding New Zealand) supported competitions. In these challenging times for many it is crucial for the community to show their support by getting behind skater-owned and run businesses and events, who are all no-doubt doing it tough too.

The BOWLZILLA team extends heartfelt gratitude to every individual, business and organization that has played a role in making BOWLZILLA Wellington the premier skate festival in New Zealand since its inception in 2016. Thanks to Wellington City Council for your ongoing funding and support of BOWLZILLA. Your support has been invaluable, and we look forward to the possibility of resuming the event in the future.

SAVE THE DATE: BOWLZILLA Wellington 2024

PEACE IS WORTH SKATING FOR

BOWLZILLA Wellington, Waitangi Park 17/02/2023

BOWLZILLA Wellington is celebrating its 9th year as New Zealand’s biggest skateboarding festival the week of the 17th of February and capping it all with the New Zealand National Bowl Skating Championships.

For the ninth consecutive year, BOWLZILLA Wellington will be putting on the biggest week of skating in New Zealand. With more events, bigger gatherings, larger celebrations and the best week of skating Aotearoa is likely to see. The weeklong festival highlights all the best of skating through ARTZILLA, music, barbecues, catch ups, our incredible friends and family and of course the competition.

“The BOWLZILLA community has always been enthusiastic in their celebration of the most important parts of skating; fun, unity, music, arts, creativity, and all-round heavy ripping. There have been many changes to skate gatherings the last few years and we believe the best parts of skating that have always bound us in fun are worth that extra effort to ensure we maintain the stoke. For our ninth year we are dialling up the good times and making sure everyone knows how grateful we are for all their years of support in the best little city in the world.” BOWLZILLA Director – Chad Ford

BOWLZILLA is renowned for its full week of festival happenings and this year there will be new additions celebrating the wider skate community and their awesome talents. The biggest week of skating in New Zealand is growing even larger. Everyone is welcome to come along and cheer and be part of the whole festival for free. There are exciting announcements coming in the New Year about sponsors and the festival.

Wellington City Council, Wellington Skateboarding Association, Redhead or Dead Events and Miryoku Agency have joined forces once again to bring this fantastic festival to the New Zealand skaters.

BOWLZILLA was born out of likeminded friends in the skateboard community looking for new platforms to promote the extraordinary talents of their friend’s talents that run in oversupply within skateboarding but are not often seen in the outside world. BOWLZILLA Wellington is the biggest platform for showcasing all of this amazing talent in skateboarding in New Zealand. There is an open invite for everyone to come and be part of the celebration.

15th February: Women’s Learn To Ride Clinic

15th February: Welcome Party

16th February: WSA Street Jam

16th February: ARTZILLA

17th February: BOWLZILLA™ Wellington competition – Waitangi Park, Wellington

17th February: Dive In – official after party

18th February: Karori Vert Jam, Ian Galloway Park, Karori, Wellington

BOWLZILLA Wellington 2023 Highlights

BOWLZILLA Wellington brought the heat this summer for the National Bowl Skating Championships. As

winter sets in in the southern hemisphere this clip will get everyone all fired up again. After the last few

years of weather and lockdowns it was the celebration everyone wanted and needed – watch, enjoy and

GO SKATE.

The best skate comps are just excuses to get the tribe together for a week of good times and ripping sessions. Wellington is the perfect city for an event like BOWLZILLA where the community is the focus. The week is full of free learn to ride clinics, street jams, parties, art shows, barbecues, free jams and the excuse of the National Bowl Skating Championships.

Many were not able to attend BOWLZILLA Wellington at the last minute because of a cyclone hitting the North Island. Everyone in attendance went above and beyond to make it another legendary year though, but more importantly, celebrate for those in our community who could not.

Having the support year in year out from Wellington City Council has ensured not only that BOWLZILLA

Wellington is the largest skate gathering in the country every year but that Wellington is also home to the most thriving skate scene because of the We Skate Poneke initiative. The BOWLZILLA Wellington week is growing and becoming more representative of the whole colourful community and the best is yet to come.

The support that goes into festivals like these are so important and everyone in attendance: fans, staff, friends, family and the competitors all step it up a little bit more to show their appreciation. Watch the ripping skating in the Hot Wheels 16 & Unders, Masters, Women and Opens and you'll see the future really looks bright for New Zealand skating.

Sponsors and partners like The Cambridge Hotel that housed all the crew and competitors and all the other sponsors combined; Radioactive.FM, Monster, Hot Wheels, Kangol, Santa Cruz, Independent, Dickies, Manual Magazine, Powerhaus Automotive, Manky Chops, Wellington Skateboarding Association and Skateboarding.NZ were bloody awesome.

The BOWLZILLA Wellington Champions for 2023 are; Hot Wheels Skate 16 & Unders: Monty Graham, Masters: Ramon Thackwell, Women: Yeva Butler and Open: Shaun Boucher, and a special congratulations to Yeva Butler for taking out the Hot Wheels Skate fingerboard competition as well, she’s going to need extra baggage allowance to get home.

A huge THANKS goes out to all the friends, family, fans, media, sponsors, supporters, community, crew, and skaters for what was truly one of the best years ever for BOWLZILLA Wellington.

BOWLZILLA Wellington – Once Again Back Is The Incredible

Wellington is set to again be the Capital of Skateboarding with the return of BOWLZILLA Wellington on Saturday 29th October. New Zealand’s National Bowl Skating Championships will be roaring back bigger than ever to crown the Nation’s best skaters.

BOWLZILLA Wellington is going to be the biggest gathering of skaters in New Zealand this year. With New Zealand opening back up again, this year’s festival is going to be a celebration like no other. The week offers; parties, music, art shows, industry catch ups, governance meetings, barbecues, ramp jams, the competition and most importantly community.

BOWLZILLA was established as a foundational event that the New Zealand skating community can depend upon and utilise as a platform for all things skate every year without fail. The competition is what makes it all possible but the whole week of all the things is the point. That is why this year there are a couple of new gatherings being added to the permanent schedule.

In addition to the Welcome Party, ARTZILLA, BOWLZILLA Wellington National Bowl Skating Championships, Dive In after party and the Karori Vert Jam and barbecue, a free women’s Learn To Ride clinic will be added at Waitangi Park during the week and some surprises with the inclusion of the more diverse creative outlets of New Zealand’s skate community for the art show. There are a few other awesome gatherings being announced as we get closer to the festival.

This is the second year in a row that BOWLZILLA Wellington has had to postpone due to COVID lockdowns and it will be the second year in a row New Zealand skaters will come out the other side with a bigger and better gathering to celebrate the awesomeness and resilience of their community. More skaters, more events, more fun and it’s all free.

There are returning sponsors ensuring the Tech Deck 16 & Unders, Santa Cruz Open, Masters and Yeah Gnar Women’s divisions will be just as spectacular as always and to make it more interesting Protec are doing a special prize for the hardest skating most spectacular slam of the day. The parties are getting a bit of extra wow this year that will be announced shortly and Wellington Skateboarding Association, Skateboarding New Zealand and Wellington City Council via its Community Events and Sports Event funding are lifting the week to even bigger heights. To top it all off there is international broadcast via the live webstream with an international media partnership being announced shortly.

“Wellington City Council is excited to welcome back the annual BOWLZILLA Wellington event. Following the debut and success of so many incredible skaters at the Olympics, we look forward to seeing these athletes in action at the National Championships in the Capital. An incredible opportunity for our community to witness the skill of these skaters. To all of those competing at BOWLZILLA Wellington 2022 – we look forward to seeing you in action.” Mayor Andy Foster

Wellington City Council, Wellington Skateboarding Association, Redhead or Dead Events and Miryoku Agency have joined forces once again to bring this fantastic festival to the New Zealand skaters.

“Skaters are some of the most resilient people in the world. We are brilliant at adapting and taking whatever is in front of us and turning it into the best moments possible. BOWLZILLA 2022 is going to be a case study in this and we can’t wait to reunite with our friends and family in Wellington for the week of the 29th October to celebrate. The continuing support of Wellington City Council and our sponsors, which make it all possible, will be rewarded with the biggest skate party Wellington has seen to date. The whole week is free and everyone is welcome to come celebrate with us.” BOWLZILLA Director – Chad Ford.

With the new run date and borders now open, overseas friends are able to return. BOWLZILLA will be working with everyone to make this possible with accommodation being provided by the legendary Cambridge Hotel, which will also be the daily gathering spot away from the bowl for the week.

BOWLZILLA was born out of likeminded friends in the skateboard community looking for new platforms to promote the extraordinary talents of their friends and their talents that run in oversupply but are not often seen in the outside world. BOWLZILLA Wellington is the biggest platform for showcasing all of this amazing talent in skateboarding in New Zealand. There is an open invite for everyone to come and be part of the celebration.

There will be more information coming shortly about all the great events and sponsorships happening as part of BOWLZILLA Wellington 2022.

26/10/2022: Women’s Learn to Ride clinic – Waitangi Park Skatepark - FREE

27/10/2022: Welcome Party – The Cambridge Hotel

28/10/2022: ARTZILLA

29/10/2022: BOWLZILLA™ Wellington competition – Waitangi Park, Wellington

29/10/2022: Dive In – official after party

30/10/2022: Karori Vert Jam, Ian Galloway Park, Karori, Wellington

BOWLZILLA CAPITAL RAISING

Wellington City Council, Redhead or Dead Events, Skateboarding New Zealand and Miryoku Agency raised the Capital with the New Zealand 2019 National Park / Bowl Skating Championships with BOWLZILLA Wellington.

SBNZ made sure the New Zealand National Skateboarding Park / Bowl competition series was the best run, attended and most unexpected fun so far. The level of all parts of the festival were raised higher this year with great success.

Weather is always a factor in Wellington but nothing gets in the way of a determined skater. With the rain finally coming down after three months of unprecedented sun in Wellington and only allowing Open heats to be run at the bowl a quick decision had to be made. Manky Chops Gallery generously offered their awesome new mini ramp that was built for Manky Deck-Aid to be utilised to its fullest, and MINIZILLA was born. The Women, Masters and 16 & Unders all finished out the event riding indoors with a format change that proved incredibly fun and popular.

Manky Chops and BOWLZILLA have a fantastic partnership going back many years which is focused around ARTZILLA every year as part of the BOWLZILLA Wellington festival. This year the Manky Chops team went above and beyond with their ten-year anniversary show; Deck-Aid, which saw 100 skateboard decks painted and sculpted by as many artists especially for the exhibition, with a huge part of the proceeds going to several worthy charities. As part of this they also custom built a mini ramp which ended up saving the day and elevating the fun and comradery to unexpected levels. Congratulations Dave, Pearl and the family for all you’ve achieved and give back.

Thanks to Yeah Gnar this is the second year of BOWLZILLA Wellington being the largest Equality in Skateboarding event in New Zealand. This support has really seen the talent in the Women’s division develop exponentially. Regardless of the Olympics and whatever else lay ahead, the emerging Women’s skateboard scene is having the most positive impact on skateboarding in a long time. The fact that it is part of the whole of BOWLZILLA Wellington makes the festival that much more fun and important for the community.

The New Zealand National Champions for 2019 are; Women – Rhya Henare, 16 & Under – Rimus Henare, Pabst Masters – Steve Crump, Open – Shaun Boucher.

The interest in skateboarding is growing and that could clearly be seen by the doubling of competitors in the 16 & Unders, and larger fields for the other divisions. Pabst Blue Ribbon beer generously stepped up this year to support the Pabst Masters division and all the other sponsors and encouragers ensured a larger level of support for all the skaters and should all be thanked for the generosity: Wellington City Council, Skateboarding NZ, Manual Magazine, Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer, Fusion Surf / Skate, Skullcandy, Irrom Distribution, GoPro, Vans, Manky Chops, Red Bull, Redhead Or Dead Events and Miryoku Agency. Because of all of them there was NZ$12,000 in prize money and more than $2000 worth of prizes. Every competitor was over the moon to be able to benefit from the biggest prize pool in New Zealand.

BOWLZILLA Wellington 2019 placings:

OPEN

1 Jakob Robinson

2 Shaun Boucher – New Zealand Champion

2 Jett De Haan

4 Bowman Hansen

5 Josh Wilson

6 Chris Wood

7 Barry Taniwha

8 Chris Curran

9 Mike Bancfroft

10 Brodie Jarret

11 Jordan Nunns

12 Felix McZiveneg

13 Tyler Holdsworth

14 Brent Muskat

15 Shannon Boyd

16 Orson Reynolds

17 Luke Hayward

18 James Tuckey

19 Ned Simpson

20 Patrick Moessen

21 Ken Maaka Pakaariki

22 Scott Wilkinson

23 Kyle Monaghan

24 Callum McInnes

WOMEN

1 Taniah Myers

2 Paula Costales

3 Rhya Henare – New Zealand Champion

4 Ela Poynter

5 Krysta Ashwell

6 Poppy-Joe Garratt

7 Allanah Wilson

8 Georgia Hudson

9 Amanda Perrin

PABST MASTERS

1 Stephen Crump – New Zealand Champion

2 Ramon Thackwell

3 Dave Crabb

4 Kevin Moran

5 Eddie Elguera

6 Von Griffin

7 Tony Chavez

8 Aaron Animal Bell

9 Nic Couscouris

10 Robin Oneleg

11 Mason Lockyer

16 & Under

1 Zane Hetherington

2 Rimus Henare – New Zealand Champion

3 Mitch Jordan

4 Joshua Godward

5 Rico Henare

6 Niwa Shewry

7 Leroy French

8 Max Hancock

9 Ephram Stocks

10 Zedyn Fellows

11 Isaiah Godfrey

12 Monty Graham

13 Felix Griffin

14 Carter Williams

15 Orlando Dreaneen

16 Jake Harris

17 Dax De Haan

“BOWLZILLA upheld its reputation of pulling a great crowd of spectators and skaters committed to having fun, in spite of the tumultuous Wellington weather this weekend! Kudos to the community for their versatility and perseverance – the future of New Zealand Skateboarding looks Bright!” Ramon Thackwell – Director, SBNZ.

There was a much larger attendance of internationals this year which really raised the excitement and energy of the locals. Jakob Robinson, Jett De Haan, Brodie Jarret, Brent Muscat, Taniah Myers, Paula Costales, Kevin Moran, Tony Chavez, Nic Couscouris, Zane Hetherington, Dax De Haan and Skateboarding Hall of Fame inductee Eddie Elguera who is considered one of the greatest skateboarders of all time and Tony Hawk’s major influence.

"The fourth year of BOWLZILLA Wellington saw us able to offer greater support to the skaters and generate more interest and opportunity. The newly energised SBNZ board is a real game changer for what we are now able to do for our community and that was reflected in the new support from sponsors and larger attendance. Wellington is one the greatest little cities in the world and being able to work with Wellington City Council in the ways we do to create a festival like BOWLZILLA Wellington which has such great community impact is what encourages us to keep the forward motion. We’re very grateful and humbled for everyone’s support and look forward to many more years of great times for all.” Chad Ford – Director, BOWLZILLA Wellington.

Stay tuned for announcements about BOWLZILLA Wellington 2020.