Mount Maunganui board paddler Andrew Newton is the only Bay of Plenty athlete to be selected for the NZ Surf Life Saving senior team to contest the Surf Life Saving International Surf Challenge at Mount Maunganui in February.

He joins 11 surf life savers from around the country to compete in the 2011 DHL International Surf Challenge.

The team includes New Zealand ironmen Daniel Moodie and Mike James, and veteran Morgan Foster who turns 35 in January.

Also competing in the international surf challenge is the development squad who New Zealand coach Scott Bartlett says will put pressure on their senior counterparts.

"They'll be told to go out and beat the national team. That's really what we want to see and we want to see the national team go out and beat Australia. Being at home is a big help and we've got a handle on how the beach works here."

The youngest of the development squad is Natalie Peat, 16, from Papamoa Surf Life Saving Club. Papamoa head coach Kurt Wilson says this selection is something she has been working towards.

'She did really well at nationals and we worked hard on her swimming over the winter to get into the development squad.”

Kurt says they trained together 14 times a week, every morning and afternoon as well as on the beach during summer. Having worked with Natalie since she was 10, he says he is happy that this reward is on its way for her.

'We have been progressing down this pathway for a while. The biggest challenge now is to get her to believe in herself, but I'm hoping she will with this selection.”

Other Bay of Plenty surf life savers in the development team are: Max Beattie (Omanu), Kendall Elliott, Katrina Madill and Arna Wright (Mount Maunganui).