Local lifesavers recognised

Surf lifesavers tireless efforts and achievements in the Bay of Plenty and Coromandel will be celebrated once again at the annual Bay of Plenty/Coromandel Awards of Excellence.

Following on from a bumper summer season, the 2015 awards will be held at Trinity Wharf in Tauranga on July 18 from 6pm.


Sand flies in the beach flags event at the annual Under-14 New Zealand Surf Life Saving Championships. Photo: Tracy Hardy.

Surf Life Saving Clubs in the two regions include Trust Waikato Hot Water Beach, Trust Waikato Tairua, Trust Waikato Pauanui, Trust Waikato Onemana, Trust Waikato Whangamata, Trust Waikato Whiritoa, Trust Waikato Waihi Beach, Mount Maunganui, Omanu, Papamoa, Maketu, Pukehina, Whakatane and Opotiki.

Together, they undertook 455 rescues in the 2014/15 season, up from 333 rescues in the 2013/14 season.

SLNZ Eastern Region club and membership development manager Sarah Leppard says it's been a good season for local members and the awards evening is the night for them to be recognised for their achievements.

Whangamata club member Seth Rackham will be providing musical entertainment for the evening and New Zealand team manager Mark Weatherall will be the special guest speaker.

There will also be a tribute to Jack Dixon and the search that involved most of the Bay of Plenty clubs.

Last year, a new awards format was introduced to reflect the growth in lifesaving in both the Coromandel and Bay of Plenty areas. The lifesaving awards are now split between the two respective areas which allows for the recognition of more volunteers.

The three big awards for the night will be Lifeguard of the Year, Volunteer of the Year and Rescue of the Year.

Nominees for Bay of Plenty Lifeguard of the Year include Shaun Smith (Papamoa), Kent Jarman (Mount Maunganui) and Thomas Yule (Omanu). Nominees for Coromandel Lifeguard of the Year include Mitch Jensen (Whangamata), Chaz Gibbons (Whiritoa) and Christiaan Maarhuis (Waihi Beach).

Nominees for Bay of Plenty Volunteer of the Year include Grant Mitchell (Mount Maunganui), Simon Stokes (Whakatane) and Naomi Davoren (Papamoa). Nominees for Coromandel Volunteer of the Year include Lauren Bracken (Papamoa), Lizzie McLean (Whangamata) and Rob Ford (Tairua).

Ms Leppard says there have been some fantastic rescues this season and the Rescue of the Year award will be very close between three different rescues that took place at Mount Maunganui in the Bay of Plenty and for the Coromandel award, it will be between Waihi Beach and Pauanui.

There will also be a host of other lifesaving and sport awards presented on the night including Club of the Year and Coach of the Year.

A new award, the Harrison Mundy Memorial Scholarship Award, will be presented to the Eastern Region's top Rookie. The recipient of this scholarship will have participated in their club's Rookie programme throughout the season, attended the Eastern Region Rookie Challenge and completed patrols with lifeguards within their club.

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Lifesaving Awards:

• Lifeguard of the Year

• Patrol Captain of the Year

• Instructor of the Year

• Examiner of the Year

• Volunteer of the Year

• Rescue of the Year

• Innovation of the Year

• Eastern Region Rookie of the Year

• Patrol Club of the Year

• Overall Club of the Year

Bay of Plenty Finalists:

• Shaun Smith (Papamoa)

• Thomas Yule (Omanu)

• Kent Jarman (Mount Maunganui)

• Haven Bellamy (Omanu)

• Harina Warbrick (Whakatane)

• Sophie Godden (Omanu)

• Tautini Hahipene (Whakatane)

• Garry King (Mount Maunganui)

• Ailsa Cowdrey (Papamoa)

• Peter Stewart (Omanu)

• Simon Stokes (Whakatane)

• Grant Mitchell (Mount Maunganui)

• Naomi Davoren (Papamoa)

• Thomas Yule (Omanu) K9 Surf Rescue Dogs

• Mount Maunganui Lifeguard Service

• Pukehina Surf Rescue

• Whakatane SLSC

• Omanu Beach SLSC

• Papamoa SLSC

Coromandel Finalists:

• Chaz Gibbons (Whiritoa)

• Christiaan Maarhuis (Waihi)

• Mitch Jensen (Whangamata)

• Stuart Upjohn (Pauanui)

• Ellena Regan (Waihi)

• Thomas Richards (Pauanui)

• Eden Bray (Whangamata)

• James Lloyd (Waihi Beach)

• Alex Polglase (Whiritoa)

• Matt Kerr (Tairua)

• Spencer Raymond (Pauanui)

• Rob Ford (Tairua)

• Lauren Bracken (Papamoa)

• Lizzie McLean (Whangamata)

• Waihi Beach Lifeguard Service

• Pauanui SLSC

• Whangamata SLSC

• Whiritoa SLSC

• Hot Water Beach SLSC

• Onemana Rookie Programme

• Waihi Beach Holiday Programme

BOP/Coromandel finalists:

• Gary Waller (Whakatane)

• Finn Smith (Onemana)

• John Bryant (Mount Maunganui)

• Justin Martin (Papamoa)

• Simon Wills (Omanu)

• Greg Rieger (Mount Maunganui)

• Ross Merrett (Papamoa)

• Christine Tulloch (Whakatane)

• Whangamata U19 men's Surf Boat Crew

• Papamoa U19W Pool Champs Relay Team

• Mount Maunganui U19 Men's Canoe Crew

• Isabella Akroyd (Mount Maunganui)

• Ruby Sussock (Whangamata)

• Sophie Sandford (Omanu)

• Daniel Shanahan (Mount Maunganui)

• Liam Moffatt (Papamoa)

• Maia Bryant (Papamoa)

• Libby Bradley (Mount Maunganui)

• Mitch Cowdrey (Papamoa)

• Daniel Barron (Mount Maunganui)

• Madison Kidd (Papamoa)

• Jessica Miller (Mount Maunganui)

• Ben Cochrane (Omanu)

• Ben Johnston (Papamoa)

• Kane Sefton (Mount Maunganui)

• Natalie Peat (Papamoa)

• Olivia Eaton (Mount Maunganui)

• Adam Simpson (Mount Maunganui)

• Mason Pickering (Papamoa)

• Deb Reardon (Mount Maunganui)

• Naomi Davoren (Papamoa)

• Pamela Kane (Omanu)

• Ian Glover (Omanu)

• Damian Munro (Mount Maunganui)

• Matt Cairns (Papamoa)

• Max Beattie (Omanu)

• Papamoa World Youth Team

Eastern Region award finalists:

• Eliza Jane Rieger (Mount Maunganui)

• Mac Parker (Omanu Beach)

• Leon Castle (Papamoa SLSC)

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