New Pauanui Surf Life Saving Club tower to open at Labour weekend

Pauanui Surf Life Saving Club will step into a new chapter when the doors of its freshly renovated patrol tower and clubhouse open at Labour weekend. Photo / Jim Birchall

Pauanui Surf Life Saving Club (PSLSC) will step into a new chapter when the doors of its freshly renovated patrol tower and clubhouse open at Labour weekend.

For the last year, the near-on 50-year-old clubhouse on Pauanui's beachfront has been closed while extensive work has been carried out to expand and improve the building.

Construction saw the base footprint enlarged by 142sq m to provide more storage space for inflatable rescue boats and safety equipment as well as an improved first aid room and training facilities.

Structural improvements were also made as the building was re-clad and re-roofed, with improvements to the upstairs training and observation rooms and new external paving.

PSLC president Rodney Lewis says it's exciting to see the fit-for-purpose clubhouse open before the new season starts.

"We are delighted with the enlarged facility that will cater for the growing needs of the club and support our lifeguards and their important work keeping beach visitors safe," Lewis says.

"As well as the much-needed storage area for rescue equipment, it's a more integrated space that will support our membership for years to come."

The new clubhouse opens as PSLSC marks its 50-year jubilee this year.

"As we mark our 50 years and celebrate this new building, we can feel confident about the strong future of surf life saving in Pauanui," Lewis says.

PSLC raised the initial funding to start the renovation, which is estimated to have cost just over $1 million.

In 2020, the club was one of four Coromandel surf clubs to receive funding from the Government's $50 billion Covid Response and Recovery Fund. PSLC received $676,000 towards the upgrade. Grants to fund the project were also received from Trust Waikato, NZ Community Trust, New Zealand Lotteries Grant and the Surf Life Saving NZ Capital Grants Programme.

The construction was completed by Livingstone Building, based in Hamilton.

"The club appreciates Livingstone's professionalism and expertise," Lewis says.

"We'd like to thank everyone who supported this project. This is a wonderful new facility that the Pauanui community will embrace."

The Pauanui Surf Life Saving Club was established in 1972.

Six founding lifeguards from Thames were supported by existing lifeguards from Mount Maunganui for the first season.

Pauanui Ocean Beach Resorts provided the materials and built the original clubhouse and patrol tower in 1976. Safety improvements were made to the patrol tower in 1998.

The club currently has around 60 volunteer lifeguards who patrol the beach each weekend from the start of December to the end of February, as well as Easter and Labour weekends.

As well as lifeguard patrols, PSLSC actively manages associated programmes (lifeguard development, junior surf and surf sports) at Pauanui over the summer period.

The club is run by a number of volunteer committees, overseen by an executive volunteer board.