We Are North
Inspired by nature
Engineered. Refined. Intuitive.
Nothing teaches design like nature. Only when you feel the unpredictable force of the elements take you away can you understand how to design for the perfect ride. That’s why the North design process starts and finishes on the water. This compulsive pull pours itself into our obsessive attention to detail on the designing boards and the development tables. Every day we are inspired – and humbled - by nature’s engineering genius and her beautiful, intuitive simplicity. To that, we add cutting-edge technology from the world’s best design workrooms and decades of performance expertise.
True North
We are driven by passion.
The people shaping our brand are first and foremost a team of riders. What absolutely unites us is a desire for a more intuitive, more natural and more powerful experience between water, wind and sky. We believe in where we can go. We are excited by the possibilities. Our passionate team of watermen and waterwomen constantly amaze with their ability to innovate and prioritise what is really important to the rider. At North, that philosophy carries through into everything - making products easy to tune and use, asking what is really needed, what’s necessary and what’s not. We’re trying to keep it real – even down to re-evaluating the amount of travel we need to do as a brand.
Social Responsibility
A step in the right direction
As a business so closely connected to the ocean and the elements, we find we have a responsibility to care for it and help to conserve our planet. We are not there and have a long way to go. Amidst other changes, our desire to reduce plastics and help the environment sees us move toward using more sustainable materials and packaging, such as kite bags manufactured from recycled PET fabric, the use of recycled cardboard packaging as much as possible, and the introduction of 100% organic cotton tees in our North apparel range.
Our Heritage
North Sails
The North brand started in 1957 when Olympic gold medallist and trained engineer, Lowell North, sought to change the world of sailing through precision technology. North pioneered advanced computer modelling in the design and manufacture processes with his understanding of sail forces and structural loads.
Just like our founder, North’s designers and makers are fascinated by the interplay of the elements and the eternal principles of physics.
North Kiteboarding
Our company
North Kiteboarding is owned and managed by North Actionsports Group, a division of North Technology Group. Our Sales & Operations Team is located in The Netherlands and supported by sales hubs in the US and Australia, to ensure a high level of service for a global market. Our Product Development, Marketing and Brand Management are based in New Zealand, an R&D playground of lush green landscapes and deserted beaches, its geographic coordinates leaving it exposed to wind and swell from all directions. Here in NZ, nature intertwines effortlessly with the creative process, inspiring the innovative ways of thinking and doing at the core of North’s brand philosophy.