2025 Surf Life Saving Awards of Excellence 

The Surf Life Saving New Zealand Awards of Excellence take place annually across each area/region, culminating in the National Awards of Excellence in September. These are opportunities to honour and celebrate the mahi of dedicated club members who work tirelessly to ensure beachgoers get home safely.

For a full overview of the awards framework, follow this link: National Volunteer Honours, Awards and Recognition Framework 

To view a detailed breakdown of the nationally aligned awards, follow this link: Appendix 1 – Nationally Aligned Awards 2025

An awards process flowchart is available here: SLSNZ Honours & Awards Flowchart

For region specific awards, view the regional pages linked below.

Honours & Awards Q&A Sessions

To assist clubs, two Honours & Awards briefings were held online, click the link to view one of the recordings (15mins). Note both briefings covered the same content.
Thursday 3rd April 2025
Tuesday 8th April 2025

Click here for the Awards Briefing PowerPoint

2025 Honours Awards

The awards below are aligned at both regional and national levels, only one nomination form is required. 
The nomination forms linked to each category open on Monday, 17 February, and close on Thursday, 1 May 2025. 

Click below for nomination forms

• Service 
• Distinguished Service 
• Life Service / Life Membership 
• 50-Year Badge 

2025 Nationally Aligned Awards of Excellence

The awards below are aligned from local area and region through to the national level, only one nomination form is required for all levels.
The nomination forms linked to each category open on Monday, 17 February, and close on Thursday, 1 May 2025. 

Click below for individual nomination forms 
Alternatively, download all forms here

• DHL Surf Lifeguard of the Year 
• DHL U19 Surf Lifeguard of the Year 
• DHL Patrol Support of the Year 
• bp Search and Rescue Contribution of the Year 
• bp Powercraft Contribution of the Year 
• bp Rescue of the Month/Year
• Toyota Financial Services Coach of the Year
• Toyota Financial Services Surf Sportsperson of the Year 
• Aon Surf Sports Official of the Year 
• Aon Surf Sports Team of the Year 
• Aon Event Safety Contribution of the Year 
• Junior Surf Contribution of the Year 
• Instructor of the Year 
• Examiner of the Year
• NZ Lottery Grants Board Volunteer of the Year 
• Innovation Award

Important notes about the nomination forms:

If copying information from another application into the form take care to ensure all information is displayed accurately, if you need to scroll to read text or it has been cut off you will need to reformat your comments. Try to avoid bullet point lists, instead providing information in series separated by commas. Adobe Acrobat Reader (free) works best to prevent issues.

If you don’t have a signature app installed simply type your name into the nominators signature box.

2025 Local Area and Region Specific Award Categories

Each region has additional local area or region specific awards that clubs can nominate members for.  See below: 

Note: For any queries regarding honours and awards, please contact your regional support team in the first instance.

Note: All nominations need to be sent via the awards@surflifesaving.org.nz email address by the closing date 1 May, 2025.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Can I nominate more than one member for an Award?
No – For Awards of Excellence clubs must select their top nominee for all categories and submit only one nomination. Clubs can however submit multiple nominations for honours awards (Service Awards, Life Membership & 50 Year Badges) so long as the members meet the applicable criteria.

Do I have to submit a nomination for all award categories?
No – Clubs can choose not to nominate for an award however are encouraged to do so and to share their nomination with the member being nominated as a means of recognition.

Will a member know if they’ve been nominated for an award?
Generally, no – clubs are encouraged to share the nomination form with nominees when submitting it to SLSNZ. In many cases the member may have additional information to add to the nomination and is an important part of member recognition.

How will I know if I’m a finalist for an award?
Finalists for Awards of Excellence will be notified by SLSNZ staff to the email address included on the nomination form. Clubs will also be notified of any finalists to the club ‘Enquiries email’ recorded in the Patrols and Membership database (CRM)

How do I find patrolling and competition information for a nominee?
Club administrators can access member information via the Patrols and Members Database (CRM), if you need help contact your local Club Support Lead or Regional Manager.

Who decides the winner of an award?
Awards are judged by volunteer committees or SLSNZ staff as applicable, you can find information relating to the judging of specific awards in the award appendices linked on the SLSNZ website.

Who can nominate a member for an award?
Award nominations should be completed by a club official, generally the Chairperson, President or a senior committee member.

I need to make a change to a nomination, what do I do?
So long as the nominations period is open simply email awards@surflifesaving.org.nz with an updated nomination form advising of the change.

What time period do the Awards of Excellence nominations cover?
Nominations should cover all activity from 01 May 2024 - 30 April 2025. Information/activities relating to the period from 01 May 2025 onwards will be considered for the 2026 Awards of Excellence.

I'd like to provide feedback on the awards, what do I do?
Simply email your feedback to awards@surflifesaving.org.nz with the word FEEDBACK in the subject line. You may choose to include applicable staff in your email if appropriate however all feedback addressed to the awards mailbox will be considered.

Honours & Awards Q&A Sessions

To assist clubs, two Honours & Awards briefings were held online, click the link to view one of the recordings (15mins). Note both briefings covered the same content.
Thursday 3rd April 2025
Tuesday 8th April 2025

Click here for the Awards Briefing PowerPoint