Mystery donation saves Raglan surf patrols

Monday, 28 December 2015

Summer Maybee-Waitere, nine, of Raglan, can practice surfing in the knowledge she is being watched by surf lifesavers.

A mystery cash injection has saved the extended summer patrol season on Raglan's main beach.

The $25,000 donation from an anonymous source was made to Surf Life Saving Northern Region (SLSNZ) this week. Port Waikato will benefit, too.

Lifeguards will be on duty for longer thanks to a mystery $25,000 cash injection.

SLSNZ acting chief executive Matt Williams said the cash meant weekday beach patrols at Raglan's Ngarunui Beach would now continue until February 19.

'It's a great outcome. It means we can be there when we are needed.'

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Nine-year-old Ngarunui surfer Summer Maybee-Waitere, of Raglan, was excited to hear of the donation. Summer, who got a surfboard for Christmas, was into her second day of practising on the board on Monday under the watch of her mum and surf life savers.

'I will spend more time at the beach because of it,' Summer said. 'I feel safer.'

'That's awesome,' said Summer's mother, Tahi Maybee, who has lived in Raglan her whole life.

She was disgusted that public money couldn't be spent on lifeguards.

'They are spending how many thousands of dollars on asking people about changing the flag?' she said. 'Look how many hundreds of people are here.

'My kids are just getting to that age where they are learning to surf.'

While Maybee was watching her children, she had also spoken to the lifeguards about the best place to practise.

'They are great guys. What they are doing is saving lives. What could be more important than that?'

Maybee said her family would have given Ngarunui a miss come February if there had not been lifeguards on.

The beach is getting busier each year, she said.

The sunshine had brought Dean and Slavica Ralph, their two children and a friend out from Otorohanga.

'This is the first time we have been here,' said diesel mechanic Dean. He was pleased to hear of the cash injection. 'I might get my feet wet.'

Slavica was surprised to see the beach as busy as it was. 'We will be swimming between the flags,' she said.

Trust Waikato Raglan Surf Life Saving Club is one of several western Waikato and Northland lifeguard services that faced a reduced weekday patrol season due to a funding shortfall at the beginning of summer.

Surf Life Saving Northern Region was left $41,000 short to operate watches at Ngarunui Beach and Sunset Beach in Port Waikato.

Williams said earlier that Hamilton City Council withdrew its funding after an agreement between neighbouring authorities that it would be spearheaded by the Waikato Regional Council.

But Waikato Regional Council was unable to allocate more funds as SLSNZ's application was made after the cut-off date for the funding round.

Funding was intended to provide full-time weekday patrols on the popular Ngarunui Beach through the peak period to help cover volunteer weekend patrols.

Weekday patrols were set to start on December 7, but had to be pushed back to December 21.

Since the shortfall was made public, Williams said the community had rallied behind lifeguards, with Waipa District Council the first to come to the party, pulling $10,000 from its emergency relief fund.

The cash injection allowed an extra two weeks of weekday patrols on the beaches, and the latest donation meant a watch would be in place every day this summer.

'We are still not happy with the process in having to lobby for funds, but it is a great outcome. To not have the lifeguards on was not an option for us.'

Lifeguards at Raglan would now be able to reach their intended patrol season dates, he said.

Raglan head lifeguard Aubrey Panis said lifeguards were thrilled funding had been reinstated.

'It means the flags will be up for longer and we will be on the beaches for longer.'

Raglan's main beach can be a treacherous spot for swimmers, especially during a low outgoing tide, and having lifeguards on duty was a lifesaving service, she said.

'At low tide, the beach can be terrible. The water moves around a lot - you get this big trough running along the beach with lots of holes and rips.'

Last year, Raglan lifesavers responded to 177 incidents, including rescues. There were 68 incidents at Sunset Beach.

Already this holiday period, five people have drowned around the country, including two Chinese nationals who died at Ruapuke Beach on Christmas Day.

On Thursday, November 26, before weekday lifeguards were on patrol, Cory Edgecombe Lilley, 17, was caught in a rip off Raglan's main beach and presumed drowned. His body has yet to be recovered.

Waikato Regional Council chairwoman Paula Southgate earlier said it was unfair to blame the council for any funding shortfall.

'We were asked to look at a funding model for them that was regional for the last annual plan. Unfortunately their formal request came out after the annual plan was put up for public consideration, ' she said.

'That's a massive amount of money and we need to negotiate what the funding is for and what we should be funding and what local government should be putting in.'

Southgate said there would be further talks with SLSNR and other councils about a regional funding plan.