Construction of new surf club begins

Construction on the $3 million rebuild of the Mount Maunganui Surf Life Saving Club is now underway.

The former club, which stood on its site on Mount Main beach since 1979, was torn down earlier this month.

Work on the new club was temporarily stopped last week when bones were found at the construction site.

While the bones turned out to be from a cow, the club says it's a timely reminder of the area's cultural heritage.

Club chairman Paul Manning says it's hugely important they take any find like this seriously, not only because of our established protocols but also because of the club's role as one of the kaitiaki (guardians) of this area.

'We know how important Mauao is to the three local iwi and this building project has been a great chance for our members to learn a little more about the history of this site and build stronger relationships with the original guardians here.”

Paul is confident the basement of the building will be ready at the end of this year, ready for response and rescue services during the next season, with the rest of the structure - including community function and emergency service operations rooms - ready by early next year.

'We still need at least $700,000 to complete that second phase and we're looking for community support to help with that but it was vital we pushed ahead with the project to make sure we were ready for the busy part of the next lifeguarding season,” says Paul.

To get over the line, the club has just employed Dominique Paduch, to lead the community fundraising efforts.

The club is also backing a new initiative, announced yesterday, to help reduce the drowning toll in Bay of Plenty, with the Maori drowning rate in Bay of Plenty higher than the national average between 2007-2016.

The Mount Lifeguard Service has a number of iwi represented in their membership and is looking to develop a long-term plan to increase water skills in local iwi.

* If you can donate towards the rebuild efforts, please contact Dominique Paduch on dominique@mountlifeguards.co.nz or 021 846 438.

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