Inspire Foundation: Jack
The Inspire Foundation is a New Zealand-registered charity supporting talented young people to achieve excellence while contributing to their local communities and inspiring positive change through their passions.
For Inspire Foundation grantee Jack Tyro, surfing started as much with the people on the beach as it did with the waves.
Born in Christchurch, Jack spent part of his childhood in Greymouth and Raglan before returning to Christchurch at eight. It was then, in the depths of a Canterbury winter, that he decided to start surfing.
“It was freezing. The waves weren’t actually that good. But I decided that was the winter I really wanted to start surfing.”
The foundations had been laid by his dad, who competed in the Hyundai Longboard Tour. Jack tagged along to competitions from the age of three or four, playing on the beach and soaking up the atmosphere.
“I think that was the first thing. I was like, ‘Oh, this is a really cool community.’”
That early interest soon became competitive ambition. Jack has represented New Zealand at junior and senior levels, and at 16 travelled to Bells Beach, Australia, where he won the World Surf League Australasian Trials event.
“I kind of went over there just to see how I’d go and be like, ‘I’ll mix it with the best. I’ll give it a shot.’”
Winning earned him a place in the main event. “It was surreal winning that one,” he says.
Now 19, Jack is preparing to represent New Zealand at the ISA World Longboard Championship in El Salvador, supported by an Inspire Foundation grant.
Away from the waves, he is studying quantity surveying in Dunedin, with a particular interest in sustainability within construction and the future of environmentally responsible building. He also plays guitar, draws, and has become actively involved with Dunedin’s student surfing community.
Longboarding missed out on inclusion at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, but Jack hopes Brisbane 2032 could provide another opportunity and a chance to showcase the sport on the world stage. For now, his ambitions remain firmly focused on competing at the highest level, while staying connected to the community that first drew him to surfing and continues to support his journey