Te Kehukehu Butler
On paper Kehu is our highest achieving male surfer in WSL competition with a 55th on the Challenger Series for 2022 (Billy Stairmand finished 82nd). Kehu cracked the Round of 32 in Portugal and then again in Hawaii, but without advancing further, he sits well adrift of his goal.
In the QS season he had a superb run in Australia with four top ten finishes including a third and two fifth-place finishes to settle him into fifth in the 2021/2022 season (one spot behind Billy) and he currently sits 35th in the rankings for the 2022/2023 season having opted out of the Indonesian leg. He may rethink that in future campaigns.
The weight of expectation must sit heavily upon Kehu’s shoulders. Since he won the WSL Oceania Junior QS in 2018, most have billed him as our next big CT star. That’s a lot of pressure for the young surfer from Mount Maunganui. Throw in the Quiksilver and Red Bull team dynamics and you have a scenario that’s not befitting the very cruisy, laidback, quintessential Kiwi character that we see Kehu as.
But beneath all that, Kehu is a worker.
“I don’t think people realise how much Kehu puts into his success,” states Matt Scorringe. “I see him out every single day, all day at Omanu when he’s home. No matter if it’s 1ft or 5ft, onshore or offshore, he surfs all day continually working on his craft. He wants it bad and is going after it with everything he’s got. It’s inspiring to see.”
Kehu loves to be at home, spending time with his family. So when he is competing internationally it is his whanau who he has written on his sleeve and who he has in his mind. He has a lot still to prove and we’re certain that an Olympic lure and his thirst for qualification will be second-to-none. We’re excited.
Kehu Butler moves up one spot from fourth in 2019.
