Province third in surf lifesaving challenge

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

GISBORNE took third place in the battle for provincial surf lifesaving honours in the inaugural New Zealand Representative Challenge at Mt Maunganui yesterday.

The Northern Region triumphed, winning both the open and youth divisions as well as the surf boat challenge.

Northern, whose athletes represent 17 clubs from Raglan to the Far North, finished on 163 points in the open division, just 11.5 points ahead of the Bay of Plenty (151.5), with Gisborne on 122 points.

In the youth division, Gisborne finished fourth on 96.5 points, behind winners Northern (156.5), runners-up Bay of Plenty (153) and Taranaki (123.5).

Running parallel to the representative challenge was the Representative Surf Boat Challenge, in which the Northern Region also claimed the honours.

They finished on 84 points, six points clear of Eastern Region (78 points), with the Central Region third on 68 points.

Northern’s women’s crews dominated the long course, taking wins in the under-19, u23 and open divisions, while the u19 and open men took the short-course titles.

The Eastern Region fought hard, the men’s crews dominating the long course to take out all three divisions, and the u23 men also took the short course. Finishing on a high, the men won the regional relay race.

The Central Region women dominated the short course overall. The u19, u23 and open crews grabbed wins, and then won the female regional relay.

Surf Life Saving New Zealand Sport manager Mike Lord said it had been several years since Surf Life Saving New Zealand had run a provincial competition like this.

“Today’s challenges were about reinstating a high-performance event offering athletes a shot at national representation at the pinnacle event, the World Lifesaving Championships,” he said.

“We got to see some really high-level racing today as around 240 athletes tested themselves against the best of the best. Athletes are always proud to represent their club but representing your region adds another level of responsibility and they gave it their all.

“We look forward to seeing this event grow in the coming years.”

Results Open: Northern 163, Bay of Plenty 151.5, Gisborne 122, Taranaki 120.5, Wellington 102.5, Canterbury 99.5.

Youth: Northern 156.5, Bay of Plenty 153, Taranaki 123.5, Gisborne 96.5, Wellington 86.5, Hawke’s Bay 74.5, Canterbury 70.5, Otago 56.

Surf Boat Challenge: Northern Region 84, Eastern Region 78, Central Region 68.