Athletes Begin Final Preparations For New Zealand’s Premier Surf Lifesaving Competition

Returning to Gisborne this March for the first time since 2020, the 2025 Aon New Zealand Surf Lifesaving Championships is the pinnacle event of the surf lifesaving sporting season. The event, which will see nearly 1300 athletes compete from across New Zealand, will be held at Midway Beach in Gisborne between 6 and 9 March.

Surf Life Saving New Zealand national events manager, Matt Cairns, says the event draws athletes from across the country and further afield.

“Bringing so many surf lifesavers together in one place is the highlight of our events calendar. It is the culmination of months of training and is an opportunity for surf lifeguards to test their resilience and skills against the best.”

Matt believes the sporting aspect of surf lifesaving is key to the success of New Zealand’s 4500-strong team of volunteer lifeguards.

“Surf lifeguards from across Aotearoa volunteer thousands of hours every summer to keep people safe on our beaches, and competition is one of the reasons volunteers continue to return each season.”

“Sporting events are an important part of how we retain and train world-leading surf lifeguards.”

Competitors aged from age 14 to any age can enter in 136 event categories. The variety of sporting events makes for an exciting spectator experience, says Matt.

“The event programme profiles a huge range of skills, with canoe paddlers, surf boat crews, surf swimmers, beach sprinters, and ski and board paddlers.”

Event organisers and competitors welcome Surf Life Saving New Zealand’s newest Major Partner, Aon, to this year’s event. Melissa Cantell, CEO of New Zealand at Aon, says Aon looks forward to flying the firm’s flag alongside Surf Life Saving New Zealand throughout the week.

“We are excited to join Aotearoa’s premier surf lifesaving athletes for the first-ever Aon New Zealand Surf Lifesaving Championships and celebrate their talent and the mahi they put in keeping our patrolled beaches safe.”

“Aon has a long history of supporting the communities the firm operates in, and we’re proud to stand with Surf Life Saving New Zealand to bring our shared purpose of reducing risk through better decisions to life. Wishing all of the competitors the very best of luck!”

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