After an exceptional third placing at the Australian Open two days ago, Billy Stairmand returns to New Zealand to compete at the O'Neill Sequence Surf Shop Pro at Gisborne this weekend.
The O'Neill Sequence Surf Shop Pro is the third of four events on the New Zealand Pro Series.

Tim O'Connor is competing at Gisborne this weekend. Photo: Silas/Kiwi Surf Magazine.

Stairmand, who also won the National Championships at Piha in January surfed to third at the Australian Open at Manly Beach, Sydney securing one of his best ever results at international level.

The explosive natural footer now finds himself ranked 22^nd in the world as he starts a new year with the ambition of qualifying for the Association of Surfing Professionals World Title Series.
'I am so stoked with the result in the weekend,” says Stairmand.

'I surfed a lower rated event at Burleigh Heads a couple of weeks ago then this event at Manly which was huge.

'I wanted to start the year well and had my eye on at least a quarterfinals or semifinals finish and achieved that.”
Stairmand wants that good run of results to continue this weekend as he heads to Gisborne alongside several other surfers returning from Australia.

Stairmand fully understands the importance of keeping his performances sharp during his two week stint back in New Zealand and this event is the perfect platform to do that.
Fellow returning surfers Richard Christie and Matt Hewitt have also confirmed their entries for this weekend with the three surfers expected to raise the level of surfing considerably.
Christie is currently ranked 72nd with Hewitt in 81^st after he surfed to 37^th place at Manly. Gisborne local Jay Quinn who now resides in Australia is ranked 52nd giving New Zealand four surfers ranked inside the top 100 for the first time in over a decade.

However, Quinn, the defending champion of the O'Neill Sequence Surf Shop Pro, will remain in Australia and will not compete this weekend.
Also returning for the event this weekend will be the younger Kiwi's competing on the ASP Australasia Pro Junior Series.

They will be led by hometown surfer Johnny Hicks, Alex Dive and Ben Poulter, all four surfers having missed the most recent New Zealand Pro Series event held at Whangamata.
Current New Zealand Pro Series ratings leader Bobby Hansen will be willing to front up to the returning surfers after having won the most recent event.

Hansen obliterated his opponents at the Billabong Pro at Whangamata and the challenge of these top ranked surfers returning will certainly raise the performance of Hansen.
Likewise, top ranked local surfers Tim O'Connor, Larry Fisher, Chris Malone and Keone Campbell will all want to put in strong performances to retain their top six rankings.
Seventeen year old Whangamata surfer Ella Williams finds herself going into this weekend's event as the top ranked female surfer.

Williams claimed her maiden victory at the last event of the series and a win this weekend would prove that she belongs at the top of New Zealand surfing.

National Champion Thandi Durham – Tipene will want to bounce back from her fourth placing at the last event while 2011 New Zealand Pro Series winner and three time defending event champion Jessica Santorik will hunt out her first win of the year.
The youngsters in the under-20 men's will get a shake up with the return of Hicks, Dive and Poulter who will all be expected to pull in solid results come Sunday.

The first event of the series saw a new group of surfers come to the fore with the likes of Sean Kettle, Dune Kennings and Elliot Paerata-Reid all aged 17 or younger making the final.

The challenge to gain a finals berth will be a lot harder come this weekend.
Small waves are forecast for the weekend with a building south swell increasing on Sunday.

Competition kicks off at 8am each morning with the venue for each day to be confirmed once swell forecasts are assessed.