“It gives parents and grandkids joy.”

That was the verdict at the surf clinic run by Surfers Healing for children on the learning disability spectrum on Saturday.

There was no pressure, just “transformational moments”, Papamoa grandmother Michelle Browne said.

“Two of my grandbabies started with Surfers Healing in Raglan, and since they moved to Mt Maunganui, we have been down ever since.”

She said the only break was last year when her granddaughter had Covid.

Parents of children with neurodiverse needs can often be ostracised and frequently “because they don’t act like we do”, Browne believes.

From left, Helen Boyle, Michelle Browne and Spectrum Connections co-founder Mary du Toit.

She said she would be back next year as there is so much joy in seeing the kids in the water.

Surfers Healing was introduced to New Zealand by convener Ian Reeder but was quickly taken over by surfer Tom Mason.

Reeder started it in Raglan, where it had a five-year lifespan, and after he got “jammed in Australia” due to Covid, Mason moved it to the Mount four years ago.

Reeder got involved with Surfers Healing as a friend of co-founder former professional surfer Izzy Paskowitz.

Paskowitz founded Surfers Healing after his son Isaiah was diagnosed with autism andwould calm when taken onto the waves.

More than 100 kids were at the Mt Maunganui beach, with parents clapping and cheering as the children rode with professional surfers.

Mary Jane du Toit and Surfers Healing organiser Tom Mason.

Spectrum Connections co-founder Mary Jane du Toit has seen the effects of Surfers Healing on her son Matthew, who went from a child who couldn’t stand the water to one who loves surfing.

“My eldest is 12, my youngest is 8, and they hate the beach, they hate the sand, they hate getting in the sea,” du Toit said.

“But boy, are they the first ones to jump on a surfboard because they have courage and they feel safe with these surfers, and they’re so good with them.”

Kids with autism spectrum disorder got to ride the waves of Mt Maunganui with Surfers Healing, on February 1.

All the children are paired up with professional surfers such as New Zealand’s Sam Willis - a retired big wave surfer - and top female board rider Maddy Walton, both supported by top Kiwi pro-surfer Levi Stewart, he said.

The surfers who volunteer for Mason are excellent although finding additional people can prove challenging as it is “not for everyone”.

Mason said the Surfers Healing Clinic has grown every year and was able to land a sponsor in the Duncan Charitable Trust, founded by Vinnie Duncan.

“It just funds the whole thing. We’re really lucky,” Mason said.

The event has taken on a world of its own, Duncan said, and has built a community around Surfers Healing in Aoteraroa.

“The very first year, we had families coming down. They didn’t know each other.

“Now they’ve all got this community, even outside of this, because they’ve met each other.”

They hope to travel to the South Island next year and do something in Dunedin, Duncan said.

“But the reality is, everyone’s volunteering their time and time off work and doing all that.”

They are raising funds to help cover the accommodation, travel, and food costs for those volunteers who would travel to the South Island.

“Anyone interested in talking about further fundraising can email VD@Vinnie.co.nz.”

All the instructors are incredibly positive around the kids and take steps to make the children feel welcome and supported, Tauranga mother Helen Boyle said.

“It’s such a beautiful experience.”

It can be challenging for parents and children to have an engaging personal experience such as the one offered by Surfers Healing, Boyle said.

“The people have nailed it.”

Surfers Healing volunteer Mary Duncan.

Mary Duncan, a non-surfing volunteer, said it is about connecting with the kids at the beach.

“If all they managed to do in the day is just to touch the surfboard, then that’s okay, ” Duncan said.

“They are not just sort of part of the machine.”

Duncan said there is encouragement without enforcement and confidence building but also knowing when to hold back when volunteers need to.

“Just enough encouragement without forcing them.”

Adam and his wife, Kimmy Ron, brought their son August along for the first time and said that parenting a childwith autism can be “quite isolating”.

“Things you can’t do that other people can, and they don’t understand,” he said.

“Going to the beach can be a bit of an ordeal.”

Often, a beach trip will end with the family leaving early as neither he nor his wife are confident enough to take August out onto the water.

The experience with the surfers is a big change, but Ron said that his son looked like he was enjoying the waves.

“This [Surfers Healing] seems like a pretty cool thing,” he said.

Longboarder surfer Winnie Hoogerbrugge has been with Surfers Healing for six years but surfing for 40 years and wanted to give back to the community.

After working with Mason, Hoogerbrugge was introduced to the charity and told about the “incredible service” offered.

“I jumped on to it,” he said.