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Red Beach Surf Life Saving Club capped off a successful summer season by taking out the prestigious Yamaha Club of the Year award at Surf Life Saving Northern Region’s Awards of Excellence function held on July 4 at Shed 10 on Queens Wharf, with 320 guests present.
The night was devoted to recognising lifeguards, surf athletes, and administrators for being the very best in their fields.
Four surf clubs were in the running for the honour of being named as the top club for the 2025/26 season, and the announcement came at the end of the night of celebration.
It’s the first time in 14 years that Red Beach has won the supreme award, which encapsulates the club’s achievements in patrolling, competition, membership, and administration. It has won it on two previous occasions, with back-to-back wins in 2011 and 2012.
Tom Jacka took out the Toyota Financial Services Coach of the Year award. He has been a major contributor to the success of the club’s surf boat division with his future-focused approach to coaching. In his key role as a surf boat sweep, he guided the club’s eight surf boat crews to the successes they’ve claimed in racing, enabling Red Beach to win ‘The Oar’ trophy for achieving the status of the country’s top surf boat club at the NZ Championships in March.
In February, he swept the Red Beach Open Women’s surf boat crew – the Bullets – to a 2-1 series win over their Australian counterparts in the Trans-Tasman Surf Boat Challenge at Sydney’s Wanda Beach.
Zoe Pedersen won the U19 Sportswoman of the Year award for her achievements in Pool Rescue competition. She holds two Youth World records, the most recent one set at the NZ Pool Rescue Championships last October. She is a rising star in pool swimming and is about to represent New Zealand at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, from July 23-August 2. She is currently the reigning World Junior Champion in the 50m Butterfly.
Dylan Blanchard was presented with the U17 Sportsman of the Year award. He has just been named to the Junior Black Fins team to compete at the Lifesaving World Championships in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, in November/December. He won the U15 Sportsman award in 2024.
Red Beach club members Shane O’Halloran and Kees Kramer were the recipients of SLSNR Service Awards.
Red Beach also won the Top Club titles for the SLSNR Pool Championships and the Masters Competition series for 2025/26.
Tom Burgess from Ōrewa Surf Life Saving Club was awarded Examiner of the Year, while the club also won the Innovation Award for their training flags.
Story and Photo, Ross Malyon
