Construction of the new Waitārere Beach Surf Life Saving Community Facility is planned to commence in November to replace the existing run down, no longer fit for purpose earthquake-prone building.

Horowhenua District Council's Mayor, Bernie Wanden said that this project has been a long time coming.

"To see the aspirations of the community and in particular the Surf Life Saving 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."

The new Community Facility will support surf life saving patrol and rescue operations and training. It will also provide the Levin-Waitārere Surf Life Saving Club and the community with a facility that can host up to 200 people.

Horowhenua District Council's Chief Executive, Monique Davidson said that the surf club and the community have advocated for this new facility for over 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."

In 2013 Horowhenua District Council first resolved for Council Officers to work with the project steering group to progress the project. Council considers surf life saving activities a vital part of the beach service in its seaside communities. Therefore, Council committed in the 2021-2041 Long Term Plan to set aside $3.2m to design and build the new facility as part of major capital expenditure projects with the requirement that the Levin-Waitārere Surf Life Saving Club provide funding of $1m to offset Council's investment. The club has since successfully secured $1m for the project through Surf Life Saving New Zealand’s allocation of Central Government funding, and additional external funding is currently being sought.

Surf Life Saving New Zealand's Chief Executive Officer, Paul Dalton said, "It is great to be involved with Horowhenua District Council on another project. Their innovative approach to working with surf life saving clubs is setting the standard nationally and we hope other Councils will follow their example. 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."

Following an open tender process, local company Homestead Construction was selected for the design and build project. Over the past year the club has been closely working with Homestead Construction to design a fit for purpose building. Construction will take place from November 2022 until November 2023.

Levin-Waitārere Surf Life Saving Club Chair, Andrew Parkin is excited about the new facility. "Our club has been investigating options to construct a new building closer to the beach as we are currently more than 80 metres from the high tide mark, with the beach and surf obsured by dunes, making it difficult to patrol. The new facility has been a long time in the planning and will be something that everyone can use. We can’t wait to move in."

As the home of the Surf Life Saving Club, the building will have the following:

• 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 life saving
• Changing rooms, toilets and showers
• First Aid room
• Storage facilities for the Surf Life Saving 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.

Council has more recently submitted an application to the Department of Internal Affairs as part of the Three Waters Better Off Funding Package, to contribute an additional $400k towards upgrading public toilets and the wider public amenity surrounding the new Surf Life Saving Community Facility.

© Scoop Media