Seven times a national champion Raglan local Billy Stairmand is no stranger to success at home, he actually knows it two times better than the next bloke.
Internationally, however, things have gone a little differently - that was until 2019.
This week Stairmand joins the Stoked Podcast - delve into the mindset of one of our best ever.
Warning: May contain some coarse language and adult themes, recommended for ages 18+
This year, after the recent loss of his mother and a major sponsor, Stairmand has defied unimaginable hardship to find another gear.
Armed with one of the best mates a surfer could ask for, in Kiwi surf royalty Luke Cederman of the Raglan Surf Report (evidence below), Stairmand has been dominating some of the world's best on the World Surf League Qualifying Series.
He's one tier below household names Paige Hareb and Ricardo Christie who fly the New Zealand flag on surfing's elite stage, the Championship Tour (CT).
Undoubtedly, the sport is on the rise in our back yard, Hareb and Christie have proven that.
This year they became the first male/female duo to represent New Zealand concurrently on the CT, and you certainly wouldn't be mad for thinking we could get one more there.
Stairmand has found a rich vein of form rarely seen on the New Zealand surfing scene, keep an eye out, you might just witness history.
Stay Stoked!
In case you didn't know, we're coming at you with episode 61 of the series, (we know you knew, you're an intelligent Stoked listener). If this one tickles your fancy you can catch the backlog on Apple podcasts here, and iHeartRadio here.
Live updates of the third ODI between the Black Caps and Sri Lanka.