Club Support Model Review

Consultation Period Extended by 2 weeks
New closing date for submissions: Sunday 5th April 

Overview

Surf Life Saving New Zealand is built on the strength of its clubs, volunteers, and communities. Together, we share a common purpose: keeping people safe in and around the water, and working towards our vision that no one drowns at the beach in Aotearoa New Zealand.
As part of delivering our Strategic Plan for 2024–2027, we are reviewing how we support clubs into the future. This work recognises that clubs and volunteers are at the heart of the surf lifesaving movement, and that strong, sustainable clubs enable volunteers to do what they do best, protecting lives, building community connection, and developing future leaders.

Why Change is Needed

This review is being driven by a strong desire to lift and strengthen the support we provide to clubs, particularly in light of significant additional funding received. With that funding comes a responsibility to ensure it is used wisely, sustainably and in a way that delivers the greatest possible impact for our clubs and communities. This work is about being thoughtful stewards, while continuing to evolve how we best serve our communities.

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.

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 the below key phases. 

ENGAGEMENT & GOVERNANCE 

The Club Support Model Review is built on broad engagement, shared leadership, and strong governance. Under Kapa Kotahi, every part of the movement has a role in shaping a model that is practical, sustainable, and club-centred.

Clubs: All 74 clubs have the opportunity to provide feedback before any decisions are made. Engagement includes:

• Local face-to-face meetings and Regional Chairs discussions
• A national club online consultation on draft options
• A structured online feedback form

A representative group of 20 clubs have taken part in deeper interviews, selected through a segmentation model to ensure diversity of size, health, patrol workload, sport, SAR capability, and region. In addition to these interviews, a club survey completed with 24 clubs and insights are further supported by analysis of the 2025 Club Satisfaction Survey. 

Reference Groups: Reference groups were brought together in December to test, refine, and validate ideas before they go wider. These include bp Leaders for Life alumni and a Leaders Group made up of Life Members, Regional Chairs of Chairs and long standing movement leaders.  

Staff: Staff contributed through interviews, workshops, and open feedback channels, ensuring the model is grounded in operational reality and aligned across national and regional teams.

Board: The SLSNZ Board provides governance oversight, working with the Project Steering Group made up Board Members Kelvyn Eglinton, Nathan Hight 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 make the final decision.  

Together, this approach ensures the new Club Support Model is informed by data, shaped by people, and built to last.

Project Steering Group

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

Contact us: consultation@surflifesaving.org.nz