New Zealand's competitive surfing season is kicking off today with the National Surfing Championships at Piha Beach.

The championships brings together the country's supreme domestic talent to compete over seven days of action at the south end of Piha Beach in Auckland from January 8-14.

Defending champions Ella Williams (Whangamata) and Billy Stairmand (Raglan) spearhead the line-up of surfers in the premier Open Women's and Men's divisions.

Williams and Stairmand both rode to victory twelve months ago when the champs were contested at St Clair Beach in Dunedin. For Williams, it was her first title and one she'd chased since a youngster.

The Whangamata surfer goes into the Open Women's Division as the number one seed and hot favourite. She'll be using the event as a build up toward a long string of international events held in Australia from late January.

Williams finished the 2016 year ranked 29th on the World Qualifying Series and will look to make a big jump in 2017 as she eyes a top six finish and qualification for the 2018 World Tour.

While Mount Maunganui surfer Matt Hewitt will go into this year's event as the top seed after finishing runner-up in the New Zealand Surf Series in 2016.

The absence of four-time champion Maz Quinn (Gis) has gifted pole position to Hewitt who will go on a search to find the form that saw him burst on to the scene in 2009 with a national title at the sprightly age of 17.

Now into its 54th year, the 2017 National Championships has grown to encompass 22 divisions spread across all disciplines and age groups, making for a largely inclusive event filled with high-level surfing as well as good times in and out of the water.

Over 200 entries have been received for the event. Additional divisions comprise of age groups from Under 14 boys and girls through to Over 60s, and also Longboard, Stand Up Paddleboard and Kneeboard disciplines.

Added incentive in the Open Men's and Women's Divisions will come in the form of the New Zealand Surfing Team being announced before the end of January. The team travels to France in May to compete at the ISA World Surfing Games.

The National Championships also acts as the sole selection event for the SUP Surfing disciplines within the New Zealand Stand Up Paddle and Paddleboard Team. The team will compete in Norway during September.

This year marks the 12th time the event has been held at Piha, second only to Gisborne which has hosted the event 13 times. The event was last held at Piha in 2015.

2017 NATIONAL SURFING CHAMPIONSHIPS SCHEDULE:

• Day 1 – Open Men, Junior boys divisions
• Day 2 – Addition of women's divisions and kneeboard
• Day 3 – Addition of men's senior age group divisions
• Day 4 – Addition of longboard divisions
• Day 5 – All above divisions
• Day 6 – Addition of SUP Divisions
• Day 7 – All divisions plus SUP Race

Mount Maunganui surfer Matt Hewitt in action at the recent ISA World Surfing Games held in Costa Rica. Photo: ISA