Kia ora Surf Life Saving whānau,

We hope this month’s Member News finds you well and rested!  It’s certainly been a busy time for many of us, with the 2023 SLSNZ Chairs Workshop, Annual General Meeting, and the National Awards of Excellence all taking place in the last month. Phew!

The three events were held in Wellington at the end of September and required a tremendous amount of work, so a big thank you must go out to everyone who took part.  There were some great discussions and debate, and, of course, plenty to celebrate too.  At the National Awards of Excellence, the incredible work of some of our surf lifeguards was highlighted.  You can read more about the SLSNZ Volunteer of the Year, Jess Bennett, below.  

In this month’s Member News, you’ll also find content on maintaining good mental health, the SLSNZ Pool Rescue Championships, an exciting opportunity with Surf Life Saving Australia, and so much more!

Happy reading and ka kite anō.

Peter Housiaux QSM Receives Insignia from Governor General

Peter Housiaux QSM of Ōtaki SLSC has received his insignia from the Governor-General at Government House in Wellington.  Earlier this year, Peter was awarded a Queen’s Service Medal in the King’s Birthday and Coronation Honours 2023 for his outstanding service to surf lifesaving and canoe polo.  It was fantastic to see him receive this well-deserved honour, as he has been a pillar in the movement for over 50 years with Ōtaki SLSC.  Well done, Peter!  Click here to read more.

Check out New Zealand Search and Rescue’s Link Magazine

Every quarter, our friends over at NZSAR produce a magazine named Link for the search and rescue (SAR) sector.  It looks at all sorts of things from incredible rescue stories, profile pieces on sector volunteers, links to new reports and equipment, and so much more!  Here’s a taster of what’s in this quarter’s magazine:

· Drowning prevention using WeChat

· Surf Life Saving New Zealand Volunteer Strategy

· Satellite Connected Cellphones: threats and opportunities for SAR

· SAR Sector Carbon emissions measurement

· Exercise Whakarauora Tangata

· Plus many more articles from across the sector

Read it online here.

Getting Prepared for the 2023/2024 Season

The 2023/2024 season is just around the corner, and Surf Life Saving clubs (SLSC) up and down the country are gearing up.  Dave Hickey, SLSNZ National Powercraft Officer, has been lending a hand in servicing inflatable rescue boat (IRB) engines.  He recently visited Tolaga Bay SLSC on the East Coast to ensure the motors are ready for the upcoming summer.  Not only did they enjoy the beautiful weather, but we heard Uncle Wayne (Mātaiao) also treated everyone to a healthy lunch, and there was plenty of good banter as well!

Peer Supporters Mark Mental Health Awareness Week

SLSNZ marked Mental Health Awareness Week with a quick video featuring some of our awesome Peer Supporters.  We try hard to always have our members’ backs and one way we do this is through our specially trained members who provide support to their peers on a range of issues including bullying, stress, and traumatic lifesaving incidents.  To learn about some of their tips for maintaining good mental health, click here.

SLSNZ Volunteer of the Year Interviewed on TV3’s AM

TV3’s AM did a road trip around the country and at one point ended up in Napier.  It served as the perfect spot to interview SLSNZ’s newly crowned Volunteer of the Year, Jess Bennett!  Jess talked about the incredible work the Hawke’s Bay SAR Squad did during Cyclone Gabrielle and the fantastic life saving skills surf lifeguards develop from a young age.  There was also an appearance from Jess’ jandals during the interview!  You’ll have to watch the full interview here to see what we’re talking about.

SLSNZ Education Programmes Highlighted on One News

One News did a story on a University of Otago study which found that children whose swimming lessons include time in open water are more competent than those who solely use pools.  The story proved to be great promotion for SLSNZ’s education programmes which can be found at Surf Life Saving clubs around the country.  Check out the story here.

SLSNZ Wellbeing Initiatives Celebrated

NZSAR’s June issue of Link Magazine featured some of the work SLSNZ has been doing in the wellbeing space.  As it says, people are the most valuable and important resource in the search and rescue sector and in the last few years there has been considerable effort to better systems.  Ari Peach, National Wellbeing and Support Lead, was interviewed about his role and the support available to surf lifeguards.  Click here and scroll down to page 12 to read the full article.

Surf Life Saving Australia College Applications Now Open

SLSNZ members have the opportunity to submit an application to the Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA) National Leadership College, taking place in Sydney in February 2024.

The SLSA National Leadership College is an annual leadership and development programme designed for young emerging leaders aged between 20 and 30 years old who wish to further develop their leadership skills. 

Applications close 31 October 2023.

For more information click here.

For an application form click here.

Surf Lifeguard Award Candidate and Instructor Resources Now Available

New resources for Surf Lifeguard Award candidates and instructors are now available online.

The purpose of these resources is to encourage the success of Surf Lifeguard Award candidates in the Surf Lifeguard Award examinations. A suite of online learning activities is available for all Surf Lifeguard Award candidates, who can self-enrol using ETrainU. There is also a set of Surf Lifeguard Award instructor resources available to help create engaging and meaningful surf lifeguard training.

Surf Lifeguard Award Training modules can be found on ETrainU under the Lifesaving – Surf Lifeguard category: etrainu - LMS | custom eLearning.

Click here for instructor resources.

Refresher Reminders

Refreshers have been updated and are now available on ETrainU, ready for completion ahead of the 2023/2024 season.  

Please remember, when enrolling in, assessing, and completing the refreshers: 

• In order to complete the refreshers, please ensure the instructions at the beginning of each module are read and understood, as this contains vital information in relation to pass marks and interaction with the modules.
• We encourage club administrators to bulk enrol their members into the appropriate refreshers to ensure each member is enrolled prior to completing any practical components. 
• We have seen a number of assessors have difficulty with signing off practical components. To prevent this occurring, please ensure enrolment into this season’s refreshers has occurred prior to attending and signing off assessments. If you experience being unable to sign off a member, please check that they are enrolled in the appropriate refresher.

If you are having any issues with refreshers, please email the education team member.education@surflifesaving.org.nz

Records Broken at SLSNZ Pool Rescue Championships

A massive 35 national records were broken at the SLSNZ Pool Rescue Championships, which were held in Auckland from 29 September to 1 October.  This year, 435 athletes from 32 SLSC’s competed in over 400 races.  Mount Maunganui Lifeguard Service came out on top winning the Paul Kent Trophy, followed by Red Beach SLSC, and East End SLSC.  Congratulations to all the athletes that competed! And a big thanks to all the volunteers who supported them.  Click here to read more.

Black Fins Named for International German Cup

The eight-strong Black Fins team, set to compete at the International German Cup, has been named.  The annual two-day pool rescue competition will be held in Warendorf, Germany from 23 – 25 November.  Well done to all those involved!  We can’t wait to cheer you on!!  Click here to read more.

DHL Celebrating 20-year Partnership.

We are excited to be celebrating this milestone at the start of the coming season with DHL who have supported SLSNZ for two decades; helping us deliver safer beaches. Their support has been critical in helping keep beachgoers safe by enabling the support, education and training of our surf lifeguards and clubs. We look forward to this partnership continuing in the years to come.

SLSNZ Welcomes New Partner Griffin's Snacks Eta brand

We would like to welcome our new partner Griffin's Snacks Eta Brand (through ETA ‘Ripples’ chips) who will be raising donations to SLSNZ via each sale of their ETA Ripples chips sold over the next 12 months. These chips have started showing up nationwide in supermarkets already and clubs will be receiving some information shortly about an opportunity to sell Griffins snacks and chips to raise additional funds, should they wish to do this. 

30 Seconds Cleaning Product Giveaway!

Start preparing your club for the upcoming busy summer season with 30 Seconds cleaning products. We’re giving away $200 worth of cleaning products to each Surf Life Saving club in New Zealand. Order your products now and get your club looking mint for summer! Click here for the order form and email your submissions to partnerships@surflifesaving.org.nz

Cartel Media

For over five years we have been partnering with Cartel Media to showcase advertising messages at Surf Life Saving Clubs, which provides additional revenue directly to clubs ($51,392 to clubs last season). In return we also receive the opportunity to share beach safety messages across Cartel Media channels in New Zealand. Please find some more information here - Cartel Media will contact you directly to see if you are interested.

Don’t try this at home!  This photo was taken in 1938 and shows surf lifeguards running in a chariot race at the Piha Surf Club carnival.

New Zealand Search and Rescue Vacancy

The NZSAR Council is looking for an independent member to ensure that the voice of the non-Government organisations involved in Search and Rescue (SAR) is heard at the top table. Applicants need to have governance experience combined with a sound, practical understanding of how SAR works. This two-year role is a rare opportunity to influence the direction of the SAR sector at a high level. Click here for more information