Hi everyone,

The great weather continues around the country and, unfortunately, so do the tragedies on our beaches. The very sad loss of Hamish Rieger really brought home the pain that families feel when they lose a loved one and, for me, reinforced the importance of our role in preventing these situations from happening. Every single preventative action and rescue is making a difference to a family out there!

A big thanks to everyone involved with and who participated in the Regional Representative event, held on the Monday after the Eastern Regional Champs. This has been a long time in the making and it as great to see it finally take place.

The next five weeks through to Easter are very busy ones - both on patrol and in the sports arena. With regard to the latter, best wishes to the NZ Surf Boat teams taking on the Aussies this coming weekend - hopefully we can ‘give them a taste of Kiwi’ to make up for the last cricket test! Best wishes also to everyone taking part in events all around NZ; Regional championships, Oceans, Nationals, IRBs and Surf Boats. With all the big swells we have been having, there have been some spectacular days racing so far this year - and some spectacular damage to equipment (and a few bodies) - please take care out there!

One topic that we all have a role to play in has popped up in the last few weeks - the importance of controlling our uniforms and gear. We have had complaints from the public about Surf Lifeguards towing a ‘biscuit’ at speed close to shore in an IRB, complaints from the public and other emergency services about lifeguards ‘drunk and abusive’ at the NRL Nines and seen a person in a lifeguard uniform pictured in a fishing magazine alongside a massive catch of fish that the headline says ‘Jordan and a few mates landed from a Surf Life Saving IRB’.

Investigations showed the first IRB was privately owned but had been sold by a club without removing the Surf Life Saving branding and I doubt the other instances were actually lifeguards. But because we are not controlling who we are ‘lending’ our uniforms to, we are putting our reputation at serious risk. So please think twice before lending your (old or new) uniforms to friends, especially when you know they are using it to attend a party-type event. In the end it is you and Surf Life Saving that suffers the consequences of their bad behaviour- in terms of what the public think of us and our ability to access funding from councils, sponsors and other funding agencies.

To finish off on a more positive note- please remember that the deadline for nominations for Regional Service Awards close on March 31. If there are people in your club who deserve recognition for what they have done, please make sure your club gets a nomination in for them. All the details are on the SLSNZ website.

Cheers,
Paul Dalton

Latest drowning figures

There have been 17 drownings so far this year- sixteen male and one female. Of these, 15 (88%) are considered preventable. Of the 17, five drownings have taken place at beaches. None of them have taken place at patrolled locations and this reiterates the need to always choose a patrolled beach and swim between the flags. With the majority of weekday patrols now finished around the country, with the exception of some Northern Region beaches, we are urging people to take responsibility for their own safety.

BP IRB Donation

BP Surf Rescue IRBs have become a very familiar sight on NZ beaches and this year, BP is donating another IRB to a deserving Surf Life Saving Club! The IRB will come complete with all the trimmings - an engine, trailer, fuel bladder, two personal flotation devices and $100 worth of fuel. To enter, clubs need to share their story and explain how a BP IRB would benefit the club and local community. Click here for more information and to get entering!

DHL uses Emoji to deliver safer beaches

DHL is using the world's fastest growing language - Emoji - to remind New Zealanders of the importance of swimming between the red and yellow flags this summer. They’re calling on beachgoers to update their social media status with the swimmer emoji between two flags together with the hashtag ‪#‎DHLSaferBeaches throughout summer. For every status update, they’ll donate $1 to SLSNZ. These social media users will also enter into the draw to win a $1,000 Prezzy card plus a $1,000 donation to a Surf Life Saving Club of their choice. Find out more here.

Thrifty rental donation 

Thrifty Car Rental is a proud supporter of Surf Life Saving New Zealand and they are running a public voting competition via social media to give four deserving clubs the chance to win a share of $2,500 in car rental. Ten lucky voters will also receive a $50 rental car voucher. Click here for all the information. Club nominations close on February 28, 2016.

Zespri partnership announcement

We’re pleased to announce that Zespri is now the Primary Regional Partner for Surf Life Saving New Zealand in Bay of Plenty, Coromandel and Gisborne. Zespri will contribute $400,000 over three years which will include free training for all local lifeguards, as well as taking on a role as National Partner. The partnership was launched at an event at the Mount Maunganui Lifeguard Service clubrooms on Wednesday evening, with representatives from central and local government joining together with representatives of the kiwifruit industry and Surf Life Saving community.

With all Regional Lifeguards rocking a pair of Blenders sunglasses this summer and a donation of $2 for every pair sold in NZ, Blenders Eyewear are proudly Backing The Flags. For the rest of February, Blenders Eyewear want to make it even easier for you to Back The Flags and protect your eyes by extending to all SLSNZ members an exclusive 30% discount on all Blenders Eyewear purchased at www.blenderseyewear.co.nz. Just enter the code FLAGS at the checkout to receive your 30% discount and don’t forget Blenders will donate $2 from every pair sold and ship FREE NZ WIDE! Whether it be surf, music, street or fashion, Blenders Eyewear has you covered.

Looking for a new personal challenge? Enter one or more of the following New Zealand Ocean Swim events this summer and feel the satisfaction and accomplishment first-hand. 

Rotorua, Legend of the Lake: February 28
Mt Maunganui, Sand to Surf: March 12
Auckland, King of the Bays: April 2

Choose a swim distance to suit your ability and Smash It!

Find out all the key event dates across the organisation including the regional, lifesaving and sporting spaces. 

Taylor’s Mistake centenary

Founded in 1916, Taylors Mistake SLSC celebrated its centenary over Waitangi weekend with generations of lifesavers. Click here to read more.

Project Lifeguard Hellas

In April, six members of Bethells Beach will head to the Greek Island of Lesvos to help decrease drowning rates for desperate Syrian refugees. The club initiative will see the team of lifeguards donating rescue equipment including an IRB. Find our more in this piece from TV3’s Story.

Canterbury quake

These Taylors Mistake SLSC members were taking part in an exercise when the quake struck earlier this week. Thankfully, none of our clubbies have been injured and there is no major damage to any of the clubs.

Record breaking swim

Congratulations to North Beach SLSC's Chloe Harris who become the eighth person to swim across Foveaux Strait on February 1. Her unofficial time of 8hr 30min is believed to be the fastest ever to achieve the feat. Read more here.

If you or any of your club mates have been doing some interesting things lately please let us know! It’s great to share with other members and recognise what our clubbies are up to. Click here to email us.