Mount Maunganui's top junior surfers have today broken the record for the most athletes from one region named in a New Zealand junior surfing squad.

Five Mount surfers under 18 years old were named in the national 12-strong team which will represent the country in the 2014 Vissla ISA World Junior Surfing Championship.

Mount Maunganui surfer Jordan Griffin.

The team will compete at La Fae Beach in Ecuador from April 5-13 against more than 250 entrants from 30 countries.

The Mount Maunganui contingent is led by the oldest of the surfers, Jordan Griffin who has previously competed at the event in the Under 16 Boys Division in 2012.

Showing his versatility in the ocean, Griffin also represented New Zealand at the 2013 ISA World Longboard Championships held in Peru.

Griffin is joined by Kehu Butler a second time representative at the event and one of several young surfers in the team including Elin Tawharu and Kea Smith.

Tawharu, the youngest surfer in the team, at age 12, is joined by her older brother Jonas, a first time representative who will compete in the Under 16 Boys Division. Piha's Elliot Paerata–Reid is the most experienced of the team having competed at the event for the past four years.

Paerata–Reid has spent the first six weeks of this year competing internationally and surfed to an amazing runner up placing at the first ASP Pro Junior event in Australia at the start of January.

He will be joined by Australian based Gisborne surfer Korbin Hutchings who has also split his time between Australia and New Zealand and Dune Kennings (Whangamata) who took out the Open Men's Division of the Billabong Pro held at Whangamata last weekend.

Leading the way for the girls will be Gisborne's Jasmine Smith who was the teams highest placed surfer finishing eighth in the Under 16 Girls Division when she competed at the 2013 event held in Nicaragua.

Smith will be joined by Muriwai's Britt Kindred in the Under 18 Girls Division.The New Zealand Junior Surfing Team is as follows:

Junior surfer Elin Tawharu.

Under 18 Boys

Dune Kennings (WGM)Elliot Paerata – Reid (Piha)Jordan Griffin (Mnt)Korbin Hutchings (Gis)Non travelling reserve – Kayden Mayes (Mnt)

Under 18 Girls

Britt Kindred (Muriwai)Jasmine Smith (Gis)Non travelling reserve – Abby Falwasser – Logan (Gis)

Under 16 Boys

Daniel Farr (Tara)Jonas Tawharu (Mnt)Kehu Butler (Mnt)Manu Scott – Arrieta (Sandy Bay)Non travelling reserve – Isaac Kettle (Tara)

Under 16 Girls

Elin Tawharu (Mnt)Kea Smith (Mnt)Non travelling reserve – Raiha Ensor (Mnt)

Team Manager: Kahn Butler (Mnt)

Team Coach: Matt Scorringe (Whangamata)

Team Assistant Manager/Coach: Warren Asplin (Hamilton)

The World Junior Surfing Championships is an annual event having been held since 2003. New Zealand has competed at the event since its inception as well as competing at the World Grommet Titles as it was formerly known since 1989. In 2013 the New Zealand team placed ninth at the event when it was held in Nicaragua.