Jono Ridler is a keynote speaker, ocean advocate, and endurance swimmer based in New Zealand.
In 2026, Jono completed the longest unassisted staged swim ever achieved anywhere in the world, swimming almost 1,400 kilometres down the east coast of New Zealand’s North Island from North Cape to Wellington over 90 days. Using only basic swim gear – with no wetsuit or performance aids – the expedition pushed the limits of physical and mental endurance while helping drive public momentum for stronger ocean protection.
Over the past decade, Jono has built a reputation for taking on some of New Zealand’s toughest open-water challenges. His endurance achievements include crossing Cook Strait, setting a fastest-known time for the Foveaux Strait crossing, and completing the historic Swim4TheGulf — a near 100-kilometre continuous swim from Great Barrier Island to Auckland. It was the longest continuous ocean swim completed in New Zealand history and helped raise awareness for the declining health of Tīkapa Moana, the Hauraki Gulf.
Alongside his endurance and advocacy work, Jono spent more than a decade in commercial leadership roles, including as General Manager at DHL Supply Chain.
Through his keynote presentations, Jono translates lessons from extreme endurance, leadership, and real-world advocacy into practical strategies that help individuals and organisations build resilience, sustain performance under pressure, and achieve meaningful outcomes in the face of challenge and uncertainty.
Talking Points
Going the Distance: Achieving the Extraordinary
How individuals and teams move beyond perceived limits and sustain high performance over time, not just in moments of peak effort.Going the Distance: Achieving the Extraordinary
Audiences Walk Away With
•Strategies to sustain effort when motivation fades
•A new perspective on limits, discomfort, and long-term progress
•Tools to apply immediately in leadership and high-pressure environments
Jono Ridler is not only a world class ultra marathon swimmer, but equally a world class presenter and speaker. Jono shared an incredible account of what can be achieved through the relentles ... keep reading WSP New Zealand
Jono spoke to a group of our clients and staff about his Swim4TheGulf record-breaking swim and his partnership with Live Ocean. Jono was very well prepared, joining us on a couple of planning calls to maximise the impact of the event which showed up in the extremely high quality of his speaking. He articulated himself well which ensured a sincere connection with the audience that led to some great questions in the Q&A. The combination of his speech with an inspiring video really conveyed that he is passionate about what he does and wants to achieve. He was very generous with his time both before and after his address, speaking with our clients and staff with one client describing him as an “extraordinary New Zealander”. I would thoroughly recommend him to anyone looking to engage an inspiring speaker for their next event.
It was a real privilege hosting Jono and hearing his story. Our team was captivated, tracing his accomplishments leading up to his 99km, record-breaking achievement. We were impressed by his true commitment, to give so much to campaign for the recovery of the Hauraki Gulf with the Live Ocean Foundation. Even after receiving national attention for his efforts as a sportsman and environmentalist, Jono was humble. We loved having an understated hero in the office for the morning, inspiring our people and reminding us that we all have a role to play in making a difference and changing our future.
