Club Support Model Review

Overview

Surf Life Saving New Zealand is undertaking a nationwide Club Support Model Review — a major piece of work designed to modernise how we deliver services, funding, and support to our 74 Surf Life Saving clubs.

The goal is simple: to make sure the way we support clubs is fit for purpose for the future, enabling every club — large or small, rural or urban — to deliver great lifesaving outcomes for their communities.

Why Change is Needed

Over the past decade, Surf Life Saving in New Zealand has evolved significantly. We now have:

• Over 17,500 members, including nearly 5,000 active lifeguards.
• Clubs ranging from small volunteer led rural teams to large, high capacity club operations.
• Increasing public expectations for professionalism, accountability, and safety.
• A complex network of funding, governance, SAR, education, and lifesaving sport services.

Despite this growth, our current support model hasn’t kept pace with how the organisation and our environment have changed. From recent feedback and analysis, we’ve identified some key challenges:

• Fragmented support delivery: Different teams and regions provide great services, but often in isolation or without a joined-up approach.
• Inconsistent outcomes: Some clubs are thriving, while others are struggling to stay afloat — there’s no clear framework to close that gap.
• Limited measurement of impact: It’s hard to see how SLSNZ investment and effort translate to improved frontline outcomes.
• Unclear roles and responsibilities: Overlap and ambiguity sometimes create confusion about who does what.

To remain strong and sustainable for the next decade, Surf Life Saving needs a model that:

• Better connects national strategy with regional delivery and club needs.
• Defines clear accountability and collaboration across the system.
• Focuses our collective effort where it will make the biggest difference to community safety and club capability.

Our Purpose

The Club Support Model Review aims to design and co-create together a clear, measurable and consistent framework that defines:

• What support SLSNZ provides to clubs.
• How that support is delivered and prioritised.
• How we measure success together.

Ultimately, this is about ensuring every hour, dollar and action we invest translates into stronger clubs, safer beaches, and better outcomes for our communities.

What's Happening

The review is being delivered in partnership with Purple Shirt, an independent service design and research consultancy. Together, we are working through four key phases:

1. Understanding the Current State
   Reviewing all existing services, funding, and support functions, and how they connect to club and community outcomes.
2. Engaging Clubs, Staff and Key Stakeholders
   In-depth interviews with select representative clubs and staff across New Zealand — alongside face to face workshops, surveys, and reference groups to understand what’s working and what needs to change.
3. Designing and Testing Options
   Co-designing a range of possible service delivery models, testing these options with clubs, regions, and staff to find the best fit.
4. Finalising and Implementing the New Model
   Developing a clear, shared framework with defined roles, measures, and expectations — and planning the transition into  the new approach.

CLUBS 

Every club has a voice in shaping the future. All 74 clubs will have the opportunity to contribute, test ideas, and provide feedback on their current challenges and draft support options before anything is finalised.
Our approach combines breadth, depth, and continuous dialogue to make sure the new model reflects the diversity of Surf Life Saving across Aotearoa and a true cocreation approach. 

Layered engagement – Every club
10 face-to-face regional meetings with the SLSNZ Chair and CEO, alongside Regional Chairs meetings.
An open national club consultation, where all 74 clubs can review and comment on draft model options.
An online feedback form hosted on this website for clubs to provide simple, structured feedback.

Deep dive – Representative Club Interviews
A representative selection of 20 clubs invited for one-to-one interviews to explore needs and priorities in more depth. Clubs were selected using a segmentation model balancing size, health, patrol workload, sport engagement, SAR capability, and regional spread — ensuring both strong and struggling clubs are heard. Club not selected will still have the chance to submit their insights via a online form.

Data-driven Insights
Detailed analysis of the 2025 Club Satisfaction Survey to identify trends and evidence-based improvement areas.

Continuous Collaboration
Ongoing involvement as the new model is implemented — helping shape tools, resources, and measures that keep it relevant and effective.

This is about co-creation, bringing club voices to the table at every step of the journey, from data to dialogue. Together, under Kapa Kotahi, we’re building a model shaped by our people, for our people.  

REFERENCE GROUPS

Key reference groups will be used to bring together a cross-section of experienced voices who can test, refine, and validate ideas as the new model is developed proposed models. 
They will provide feedback, help test assumptions, and ensure that new ideas are credible, inclusive, and practical before being put to all clubs.

Our Reference Groups include:

• bp Leaders for Life alumni – emerging and experienced leaders offering a leadership and cultural lens.
• Regional Chairs – Bring a regional perspective to national discussions highlighting local needs, patterns, and resource challenges.
• Kaitiaki of the Movement – Such as Life Members, long standing leaders within the movement. 
• Other stakeholder voices – where specific expertise or perspectives add value. 

STAFF

Our staff play a vital role in bringing the new Club Support Model to life. Their experience working alongside clubs, delivering services, and managing operations ensures the design is practical, achievable, and grounded in reality. Through a Kapa Kotahi approach, staff from across national and regional teams are contributing through interviews, a online feedback form, co-design workshops, and open feedback channels,  sharing what’s working well, where improvements can be made, and how we can strengthen alignment across teams.

This collaborative mahi embodies Kapa Kotahi, one team working together to create a model that’s clear, connected, and deliverable, built from insight and owned by the people who make it happen every day.  

BOARD

The SLSNZ Board provides governance oversight and ensures the Club Support Model Review aligns with the organisation’s strategic direction, values, and long-term sustainability.

Working alongside the Project Steering Group — made up Board Members Kelvyn Eglinton, Nathan Height and Charlotte Becconsall-Ryan and SLSNZ Staff Steve Fisher, Jane Indries and Belinda Slement. Together, they review findings, consider recommendations, and oversee the integrity of the process from design through to implementation. The Board will ultimately endorse the final Club Support Model for roll out in 2026, ensuring it supports strong governance practices, equitable resourcing, and the wellbeing of our members, staff and volunteers. This shared governance approach ensures the new model is both operationally effective and strategically sustainable, strengthening Surf Life Saving for the next decade and beyond.

Project Steering Group

Board Members: Kelvyn Eglinton, Nathan Height & Charlotte Becconsall-Ryan.
SLSNZ: Steve Fisher, Jane Indries & Belinda Slement

Contact us: consultation@surflifesaving.org.nz