Season end

We are praising our lifeguards for their efforts as another season draws to an end with no drownings between the flags. Being a Surf Lifeguard is a big commitment and we're incredibly grateful to our thousands of volunteers around the country that have helped to keep beach-goers safe for another year. 

Condolences

It is with sadness that we share the news of two members passing away in recent weeks; Far North Surf Rescue’s Te Amohaere (TA) Rudolph lost her battle with cancer on March 16. The brave and outgoing teen sat her Surf Lifeguard Award in October 2015 and this season helped out the club's new recruits, giving them early morning swim training before school. Here's a tribute from Seven Sharp's Mike Holland who has followed TA's journey.

Jack Ryan, a legend in surf lifesaving circles, passed away on April 4. He was originally a member of Lyall Bay and then New Brighton and won numerous championship titles. He was also part of the NZ team in 1950 which conquered Australia. Our thoughts are with TA and Jack’s families, friends and fellow clubbies at this tough time.

Awards season

We are now leading into the time of year where we celebrate our members’ achievements. The regional Awards of Excellence ceremonies kick-off with the Otago/Southland awards on May 19 and run through to July as we lead up to the national awards in September. Keep an eye out on our website for more news and information about our finalists and award winners.

Careers

We are currently recruiting for two positions within Surf Life Saving New Zealand; Eastern Regional Education Coordinator based in Mt Maunganui and Club Support Officer for Taranaki. Visit the careers page of our website for position descriptions and application information.

WSNZ Board

We are pleased to announce that Michael Bassett-Foss will be SLSNZ's new representative on the Water Safety New Zealand Board. This is a very important role and Michael, a member of Waimarama Surf Life Saving Club and a former SLSNZ Chairman, brings a lot of relevant experience including many years of active participation in the water safety sector.

Emsisoft project

Late last year Emsisoft and Surf Life Saving New Zealand teamed up for the ultimate goal- surf protection. Watch this video to see how we've been using technology to map currents and rips around key New Zealand beaches over the summer months and click here to find out more about the project.

BP IRB Donation 

Far North Surf Rescue won the 2017 BP IRB Donation and recently, in front of BP staff, they were presented with their brand new $25,000 IRB, complete with an engine, trailer, fuel bladder, two personal floatation devices, rescue tube and $100 worth of fuel.

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

BP Rescue of the Month

Congratulations to Far North, Muriwai and Piha who are our top three winners respectively for the March round of BP Rescue of the Month awards. That completes the awards for this season. Congratulations to all of our winners who are now finalists for the BP Rescue of the Year award which will be announced at our Awards of Excellence in September.

Medical Director appointed

Gary Payinda has been appointed as SLSNZ’s new Medical Director. The purpose of the role is to provide strategic direction and advice on matters pertaining to patient care by lifeguards and to ensure all surf lifesaving activities promote the health and wellbeing of members. One of his goals is to harness the work experience within the membership through the formation of a Medical Advisory Group. Click here to find out more and get involved.

BP Leaders for Life

This year’s BP Leaders for Life will see a new format introduced following a review process to ensure the programme remains relevant and desirable. Click here to find out more. Applications will open on April 18.

Member pathways

We are pleased to announce the creation of our new lifeguarding and sports pathways which allow our membership to clearly see the development and training opportunities available for lifeguards, officials, coaches, athletes and much more. 

Outward Bound

Outward Bound has once again offered a scholarship scheme to Surf Life Saving New Zealand members for a range of courses this year but there is a new application process. Click here to find out more.

The Science of Beach Lifeguarding

Professor Mike Tipton will be giving a presentation on the Science of Beach Lifeguarding at 5pm on June 23 at Auckland University followed by a social function in Mount Eden. The presentation will cover beach lifeguard fitness standards, IRB and RWC strength standards, eyesight standards, surveillance techniques and lifeguard swimming performance in surf, which all appear as chapters in the recently published book. Members are encouraged to attend and contribute to the discussion around incorporating evidence based science to our own programmes and standards. For more information and to book a spot, email Adam Wooler. 

Lyall Bay fundraiser

The club is well underway with its renovation project and recently held a fundraising art auction featuring work from 20 top Wellington artists who turned reclaimed wood from the old clubhouse into new art. All pieces were sold with the proceeds going towards the rebuild.

Cook Strait Swim

She swam the Foveaux Strait in record time last year and last month New Brighton Surf Life Saving Club member Chloe Harris successfully swam the Cook Strait in seven hours 17 mins.

Leadership award

Congratulations to Waimairi’s Hannah Laughton who was presented with the Health Quality Safety Commission New Zealand Leadership Award by Associate Minister of Health Peter Dunne on April 7. The award recognises leadership and involvement in health work and health initiatives in Christchurch East and Hannah is the first recipient of this award in the Canterbury DHB area.  

A special thank you

The Surf Sports season has now finished and we’d like to take the opportunity to thank all of the volunteers and officials who have helped make the events such a success. A lot of work goes on behind the scenes and without their time and effort, it just wouldn’t be possible. Thank you to you all. 

TSB Bank NZ Surf Life Championships

Mt Maunganui Lifeguard Service managed to take the overall win for the fifth consecutive time at last month’s national champs in Christchurch. Finishing in second was Mairangi Bay with Waikanae in third. Omanu Beach took out the Masters title. Well done to all the athletes that took part and thank you to the officials and volunteers for their hard work and dedication throughout the four days, helping to make it a successful event. Click here to read more and click here to view the video highlights.

BP IRB Championships

Sunset Beach won the iconic BP New Zealand IRB Championships at Waipu earlier this month to take the title for the second year in a row, following an extremely close battle. It was the last major event on the sports calendar for the season. St Clair Surf Life Saving Club finished in second and East End in third. Click here to see Newshub coverage and visit our YouTube channel to watch our video highlights.

IRB Long Haul

The Bay of Plenty IRB Long Haul is back for its fifth year. Taking place on May 6, the event calls upon the best IRB crews in the country to battle it out along the Bay of Plenty coastline, as they race from Ohope Beach to Mount Maunganui Main Beach. Entries close on April 30. Click here to find out more.

Event applications sought

We are now inviting applications for a number of roles for 2017-18 season events including event referees and safety officers. Applications close on April 20. We are also seeking Event Managers for the BP North Island, South Island and New Zealand IRB Championships, Oceans, Nationals and the New Zealand Representative Challenge. Click here for more information. Applications close at 5pm on April 21. Further officials positions will be advertised in May.

The Aussies

Olivia Eaton has added the Australian Open Women's Beach Sprint title to her long list of achievements after a successful Australian Surf Life Saving Championships that saw her win three gold and a bronze. She was one our Kiwi athletes that took on this year's event on the Gold Coast with many making finals and claiming podium positions. Find out more.

World Masters Games

The world’s largest multi-sport event kicks off next Friday. Around 25,000 participants from 100 countries will take part in 28 sports over 10 days of competition. The surf lifesaving events will take place at Takapuna Beach in Auckland next weekend. Click here to find out more. Good luck to all of our members that are taking part.

High Performance

The High Performance squads (Open, Youth and Development) for the 2017-18 season were announced at the conclusion of the TSB Bank New Zealand Surf Life Saving Championships. Congratulations to all those selected. Surf Life Saving New Zealand will be selecting teams from these squads to represent New Zealand at the 2017 Sanyo Cup in June, the World Games in July and the International Surf Rescue Challenge in November and these will be announced in the coming weeks.

International Surf Rescue Challenge

We will be hosting the 2017 ISRC at Mount Maunganui from November 30 to December 3. Australia, Great Britain, South Africa and the USA have confirmed attendance for Open and Youth teams and Canada, France and Japan will have an Open team attending. Keep an eye out on our website for more information leading up to the event.

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.