bp Leaders For Life

Investing in our People. Investing in our Future. 

bp Leaders for Life is SLSNZ's premier leadership development programme for current and emerging club leaders aged 20-35 years.

This program offers a valuable opportunity for participants to enhance their leadership abilities, deepen their knowledge, and develop key skills. It also fosters the creation of meaningful relationships and connections across clubs and regions throughout New Zealand. The content of the program is designed to support personal and professional growth beyond the realm of surf lifesaving. Ultimately, the goal is to empower individuals to lead their clubs and our movement towards a sustainable and thriving future.

Thanks to the support of SLSNZ’s major partner bp, the programme – which normally costs $5000 per person – is heavily subsidised, resulting in a reduced fee of only $450 per person (which includes travel and accommodation). Clubs may apply for central government funding to cover their candidate's portion of the course costs. Successful candidates attend a series of workshops across the country throughout the year, each focused on a different set of leadership skills.

Application Criteria

• Current SLSNZ member
• Aged between 20 - 35 years
• Participants will be current or emerging leaders at club level
• You need to commit to attending all 5 workshops throughout the country
• You will have aspirations to make a real difference and recognise your need to develop as a leader
• Your club must endorse your application and provide a letter of support outlining your suitability to attend the bp Leaders for Life 
• Once applications have closed, a short list of candidates will be selected to proceed through to an interview stage. From then, a group of 17 candidates will be selected for this year's programme 
  
  

Applications for the 2026/27 programme are open from the 1st - 30th April 2026. During the application period, you will find the link to the application form here. To apply for a candidate place on the programme, please follow the link and complete your application online. Please note you will also be required to submit a simple video as part of your application - you can find further info on this within the application form.

2026/2027 Key Dates

FAQs

Who is eligible? All SLSNZ/NR members aged 20-35 are eligible to apply

Is there a cost? The majority of this progamme is funded by bp and supported by SLSNZ. As with most member education - there is a user pays charge. For this programme the amount is $450, which will be invoiced to your club on the completion. The club will then have the option of paying for it, or asking the user to pay.

Can I apply to be a part of a programme even if I've already participated in an SLSNZ leadership programme in the past? Absolutely!

When does bp Leaders for Life start and how long does it go for? The programme starts inJuly/August each year and runs for 10 months, usually finishing around May.

Can I do the programme with friends? Your friends may also apply, but there is no guarantee that they will be on the programme with you. However, you will definitely make a great deal of new friends and contacts through bp Leaders for Life, so don't be worried if you don't know anyone at first.

Can SLSNZ staff be a part of bp Leaders for Life? Yes, as long as they are a member of a club and involved in leadership and meet the eligibility criteria.

Mentors are the key link between the skills taught in our bp Leaders for Life Leadership programme and the integration of these skills into practice. They will serve as a key support resource for candidates in programme, have a passion for enabling people to reach their potential and a genuine interest in the development of leaders.

Candidates are a mix of emerging and experienced leaders who are actively involved in some form of leadership at club or regional level.

Graduates in our last programme benefited immensely from their mentors assisting with their leadership development. This aligns with our national leadership and member development strategies. By growing leaders and developing programmes to nurture emerging leaders, our whole organisation benefits. This mentor role adds another layer of leadership growth to each candidate.

What are we looking for?

• We are looking for 8-10 leadership mentors from around New Zealand to support participants in the 2026/27 bp Leaders for Life programme
• We are especially looking for people with a genuine interest in the development of leaders, strong empathy for people and a passion for enabling people to reach their potential
• Mentors who have experience in mentoring or coaching people in their own development, either within surf lifesaving and/or their professional lives. They will understand the principles of effective mentoring and will be able to point to a track record of developing people
• Mentors to support candidates who will be a mix of emerging and experienced leaders and who will be actively involved in some form of leadership at club or regional level

Each mentor will be paired with 2 programme candidates. The leadership mentors will be expected to meet (face to face or online) with their paired candidate a minimum of 8 times during the programme. Mentors will also be required to meet with the Programme leads following every workshop.

It is likely that each mentor will retain an on-going mentoring relationship with their candidates for the 12 months following the programme. In some cases, these relationships may extend over a number of years, or become lifelong.

Each candidate will, with their mentor will establish an appropriate personal development plan based on their TMS Personal Profile, current leadership challenges and future ambitions.

Mentors will attend the final bp Leaders for Life workshop to watch their candidate’s leadership presentations, to be held on Saturday 8^th May 2027.

Process & Criteria

• Current SLSNZ member
• Minimum 25yrs old
• Leadership Mentors will be overseen by the lead programme facilitator and SLSNZ programme delivery team
• You will be expected to participate in an online induction meeting. This will be prior to the start of this year’s leadership programme
• There will be on-going learning and development opportunities. It is anticipated the leadership mentors will support each other in the sharing of knowledge and ideas via a group forum
• You will be expected to report on participant progress throughout the programme to SLSNZ
• Note; this is a voluntary role

Applications for the 2026/27 bp Leaders for Life programme are open from the 1st - 30th April 2026. To apply for a mentor role, please check back here for a link to the application form during the application period.

2026/2027 Key Dates

For further information regarding the bp Leaders for Life Programme, please contact:

Poppy Crouch - Member Development & Engagement Officer 

Poppy.crouch@surflifesaving.org.nz 

0275 377233