Rolling with it
The first woman to represent Aotearoa on the international skateboarding scene is throwing her support behind a skateboard collection that will be part of the permanent exhibition at Tauranga Museum opening in 2028.
The first woman to represent Aotearoa on the international skateboarding scene is throwing her support behind a skateboard collection that will be part of the permanent exhibition at Tauranga Museum opening in 2028.
words DEBBIE GRIFFITHS | photos CRAIG BROWN
Georgina Matthews started skateboarding around her home in Ōtūmoetai at the age of 13. A year later, she won a national competition and then placed second at an international in Melbourne where she caught the attention of sponsors.
“I was skateboarding and travelling the world from when I was 16 until my 20s,” she says. “I got to skate against the world’s best like Elissa Steamer and I met Tony Hawk a few times. In 2006, I was ranked ninth in the world. They were fun times.”
Skateboarding fits hand in hand with the Bay’s surf culture. In fact, it was the acquisition of an iconic collection of classic Kiwi surfboards and memorabilia from Tauranga businessman Dusty Waddell, along with around 40 of his vintage skateboards, that enabled museum curator Fiona Kean to create the exhibit.
“The Waddell collection came with a skateboard made by ‘Cahoot’ which was a Mount Maunganui brand made in the 1970s. They pioneered the use of urethane wheels,” she says. “In researching the skateboard collection and also with the opening of the Destination Skatepark, one of the things that struck me is that there’s a story to tell here in Tauranga. Georgina fits so beautifully into that. She reached the top level and she grew up right here in the Bay.”
“Tauranga’s skateparks are amazing,” says Georgina, reminiscing about cheese grater ramps, splinters and rails so hot they burned. “We’ve come a long way from the old skatepark at 17th Avenue by Historic Village. It’s 100 percent easier for kids to get into. I love seeing them at parks that have entry level ramps and easy progressions.”
It’s the next generation of skateboarders who were targeted in a recent competition to ‘design a deck’. Out of more than 260 entries, Georgina picked two winners – aged 9 and 13 – who had their images put onto boards.
“The first design reminded me of how important cultural representation was for me on a global stage. My iwi is Ngāpuhi and I’m very proud to be from New Zealand. When I was competing, sometimes I’d wear a Māori band or a Tino t-shirt. I felt that this design was a beautiful reflection of our country and culture, and I loved the composition of the Tino Rangatiratanga flag, koru, and ferns contrasting. I could picture this being a cool board for a kiwi athlete in the Olympics someday. It’s what I would choose.”
Georgina loved the vibrant colours, fun characters and creative use of the whole board of the second winning design.
“I imagine that would be a really popular pick in skate stores,” she says. “We hope we’ve inspired the kids in some way – to try skateboarding or maybe graphic design,” says Fiona. “You never know what’s going to spark someone’s future passion. Museums are here to enrich our communities and to make people feel that they belong and are part of something bigger. A sense of collective place.”
“I’m very honoured and grateful to be involved in Tauranga Museum and that kids will be able to see more than what’s on YouTube,” says Georgina. “They’ll have an understanding of the history and the evolution of the sport.”
Fiona has been working with the museum collection for nearly 20 years and remains passionate and excited by it.
“We’ve got a history of Tauranga to tell from the 1400s to beyond today. Our plan is that we’re not picking a point in the past and saying ‘we’re doing up to here’; we’re creating contemporary stories so we can show local innovators, diversity and fresh stories and events.”
“It starts with talking with the community and our conversation about the new museum has been a long one,” Fiona continues. “It’s not a one-way conversation. There have been consultations and discussions over the last thirty years but over time you can see the trends coming through and the objects that support the stories we’re being told. Sometimes it’s just magic, like getting the opportunity to purchase the Waddell collection of surfboards and that it came with the wonderful bonus of the skateboards which will now allow us to tell that story as well.”
Today, 37-year-old Georgina still gets on her board and is looking forward to skating and sunbathing through the summer.
“For me skateboarding is amazing for mental health,” she says. “You’re your own boss, you don’t have to skateboard at a certain time or in a certain place. It’s an indescribably beautiful feeling of freedom. I still love it like I did when I was 13. I’ll be skating until I can’t.”