An artists impression of the new surf club building at Waitarere Beach, expected to be completed by this time next year.
A new surf club building at Waitarere Beach will soon rise from the dunes, ending years of frustrating delay.
The new two-storey building has been more than a decade in the planning.
Now, following an assurance of funding, construction of the new building will start next month and a brand new facility could be finished by this time next year.
The old surf club, built in 1953, was once near the water's edge.
Now it is more than 100m from the beach itself, and a good example of how the shoreline was encroaching upon land by more than one metre each year.
HDC first started work on the project in 2013, recognising the importance of the club to the community and to community wellbeing, and the need for a building nearer the shoreline.
An accretion claim was lodged in 2014, and consent from Land Information New Zealand was finally granted in 2020.
The old surf club building has deteriorated over time, too, in the harsh beach environment.
Independent structural assessments had recommended part of the building be demolished as it was rotten, brick work had cracked, and steel was degrading.
A recent earthquake assessment of the building showed it was only 20 per cent code compliant.
The cost of the new building and the demolition of the old surf club was estimated to cost more than $4.6 million. The building contract has gone to local firm Homestead Construction.
The Levin-Waitarere club was contributing $1 million, having secured funding from Surf Lifesaving New Zealand. Horowhenua District Council was good for the rest, in lieu of pending grant applications to various trusts worth more than $750,000.
HDC had set aside $3.2 million in its recent 2021-2041 Long Term Plan to design and build the new facility, provided the Levin-Waitārere Surf Lifesaving Club provide funding of $1m to offset council's investment.
The budget had been recently extended by $120,000 to include provision for a lift allowing wheelchair access to the second floor of the building.
HDC had also submitted an application to the Department of Internal Affairs as part of the Three Waters Better Off Funding Package to contribute an additional $400,000 towards upgrading public toilets and the wider public amenity surrounding the new facility.
Following an open tender process, local company Homestead Construction was selected for the design and build project. The club has worked closely with Homestead Construction on the building design.
Surf club president Andrew Parkin said in a social media post how pleased the club was to finally have been given the green light for the project.
"We are super pleased to announce that site works on the new building are expected to start by mid-November 2022. Over the summer season you will see the new surf club rise from the dunes.
"Getting to this point has been the culmination of over a decade of effort by the club working with the local community, and both Horowhenua District Council and Horizons Regional Council, and more recently Homestead Construction.
"We are fortunate that Horowhenua District Council have been very supportive, they (the community) will own the building and lease to the club."
Parkin thanked club members such as Brian Forth, Liz Fitzgibbon and Dan Turner who as part of the building project group had put in countless hours over the past couple of years to steer the project to this point.
Having the building closer to the water would allow the club to patrol the beach more effectively. They didn't use the current building while patrolling, instead using an old caravan they would bring down to the beach.
Horowhenua mayor Bernie Wanden agreed that the project has been a long time coming.
"To see the aspirations of the community and in particular the surf lifesaving community, come to life, in partnership with Horowhenua District Council, is pretty exciting.
''The next three years will focus on delivering for Horowhenua, and having this project commencing sends a signal to that," he said.
The new facility will support surf lifesaving patrols, rescue operations and training. It will also provide the Levin-Waitārere Surf Lifesaving Club and the community with a facility that can host up to 200 people.
HDC CEO Monique Davidson said that the surf club and the community had advocated for this new facility for more than a decade.
"The project is a key priority in the Waitārere Beach Community Plan and will be welcome news to the thousands of people who flock to our beautiful beach," she said.
Surf Lifesaving New Zealand's CEO Paul Dalton praised HDC for their involvement.
"It is great to be involved with Horowhenua District Council on another project. Their innovative approach to working with surf lifesaving clubs is setting the standard nationally and we hope other councils will follow their example," he said.
"It is easy to underestimate the pressure that goes on our volunteers to take on projects of this size, so having the council take the lead in managing the project is a key reason why this project has been able to progress as quickly."
"My sincere thanks to the council team for all the work that has gone to getting us to this exciting point."
Features of the new surf life saving club building will include:
-A patrol tower or watch room
- Training and beach education rooms for junior surf development and youth beach safety education which are open to school groups, the public and members of the club
- Kitchen and facilities to accommodate up to 200 people for community related events that closely align with surf lifesaving
- Changing rooms, toilets and showers
- First Aid room
- Storage facilities for the Surf Lifesaving Club's rescue and training equipment.
- Other features include a deck, patio, BBQ area, outside rinse showers and a washdown forecourt.
The building will support the following activities:
- Surf Lifeguard Patrols throughout the summer period
- Junior Surf Saturday (up to 80 juniors attending)
- Junior Surf holiday programme
- Sports training and events
- Lifeguard training and courses
- Surf Club social events such as prizegivings (up to 200 people)
- Closely aligned activities to surf life saving.
