What began as a pilot programme for women at Mount Maunganui has grown into a community trust, with plans to bring the benefits of surf therapy to more people.

Surf Therapy Trust will officially launch at Classic Flyers on Tuesday, September 22, celebrating the women who have taken part in its first two programmes and looking ahead to its future.

The trust’s initial programmes, known as Salt Sisters, ran late 2025 and early 2026, combining surf therapy, therapeutic writing circles and one-to-one counselling.

Surf Therapy has run two Salt Sister programmes at Mount Maunganui over the last year. Photo / Anè McGrail

Co-founder and therapeutic lead Annericke Leonard said some of the most powerful moments had come from watching women persevere with challenges in the water and then carry that experience into their lives on land.

“It’s really like a mirror for them,” Leonard said.

She described learning to stand on a surfboard as a “kinesthetic metaphor” – a physical experience that could reflect the challenges people were facing in everyday life.

Local artist and Surf Therapy volunteer Laura Neun and participant Ruth Holden. Photo / Anè McGrail

Some participants struggled repeatedly to stand on their boards but eventually succeeded.

“To see the woman not give up in the surf and then carrying that through to whatever it was that they were fighting in the real world, it was like this sign for them,” Leonard said.

“It was such a confirmation for all of them that they can do hard things.”

Leonard said Salt Sisters supports women struggling with their mental health and wellbeing, including those experiencing anxiety, low mood, chronic stress, overwhelming or difficult life transitions and social isolation.

“We really care about serving mothers in any stage or phase, because from them the health of their children and families flow,” she said.

Surf Therapy co-founders Andricka Leonard and Kirstin Pascoe. Photo / Anè McGrail

Fellow co-founder and qualified surf instructor Kirstin Pascoe said one participant had arrived with significant physical health problems and struggled to walk comfortably across uneven ground.

On the programme’s first day, she needed support to walk into the water at Pilot Bay.

By the end of the programme, she was carrying her own board across the beach, paddling out through the waves and catching waves back to shore.

She subsequently got back on her motorbike and began riding again.

Pascoe said the transformation was significant because the woman’s fears and health issues were not simply physical.

“They weren’t just real physically but also very much emotionally and mentally too,” she said.

Another moment that stood out was a participant persevering to stand on her board, and finally succeeding.

“You could hear laughter, you could hear hooting,” Pascoe said.

“There was just so much love and accomplishment and joy in that moment.”

That sense of community is central to the programme.

Leonard said participants repeatedly talked about being outside, learning a new physical skill and developing relationships with other women.

“Being in nature, being with my sisters and learning a skill that I can take for the rest of my life,” she said.

Destiny Prentis and Tracey Le Noel participating in the Surf Therapy programme Salt Sisters. Photo: Anè McGrail

The programmes had also begun creating a cycle of support.

Four women from the first programme returned as peer supporters for the second, while several former participants were working towards surf coaching qualifications.

“The idea is that it goes a full circle,” Pascoe said.

The trust had secured its first substantial grant, to purchase a surf equipment trailer.

More equipment is still needed, including surfboards, wetsuits and leashes, and support for lunches during programmes.

Currently, the founders and volunteers give their time without payment.

Leonard said people could also support participants.

“We would also love for people to sponsor a Salt Sister participant for $300.”

The $300 would cover the cost of a writing circle venue and a 1:1 session with a registered clinician.

“It covers nothing else, but if we had 10 ladies and each had $300 in the game it would help a lot,” she said.

Annericke Leonard and Kristin Pascoe are running the surf therapy for women programme at Mount Maunganui. Photo / David Hall.

The founders also hoped to develop programmes for different groups, potentially including teenage girls and older people, and less intensive programmes for people experiencing anxiety, depression or loneliness.

“We really want to make surf therapy as accessible as you can,” Leonard said.

The September 22 official launch is open to the public. It will be held at Classic Flyers at 7pm.

The event is free, but ticketed. Reserve a spot at: https://tinyurl.com/3cy9z5ef

It will host the first public screening of a documentary filmed during the first Salt Sisters programme, and four former participants will speak about its impact on their lives and whānau.

The trust will outline ways the community can get involved, through volunteering, peer support, helping with lunches or donating equipment or funds.