2016 Bay of Plenty and Coromandel award finalists named

Surf Life Saving members in the Bay of Plenty and Coromandel are getting together to celebrate all that they have achieved over a bumper summer season at this year's awards ceremony. 

The 2016 Zespri Bay of Plenty/Coromandel Awards of Excellence will be held at Trinity Wharf in Tauranga on Saturday July 23.

The evening's entertainment will be provided by Waylon McPherson from McPherson Stompboxes NZ Ltd who plays a local circuit in Mount Maunganui.

In 2014, a new awards format was introduced to reflect the growth in lifesaving in both the Coromandel and Bay of Plenty areas. The lifesaving awards are now split between the two respective areas which allows for the recognition of more volunteers.

The three big awards for the night will be Lifeguard of the Year, Volunteer of the Year and Rescue of the Year. There will also be a host of other lifesaving and sport awards presented on the night including Club of the Year.

The Harrison Mundy Memorial Scholarship Award (established last year) will be presented to the Eastern Region's top Rookie. The recipient of this scholarship will have participated in their club's Rookie programme throughout the season, attended the Eastern Region Rookie Challenge and completed patrols with lifeguards within their club.

Surf Life Saving Clubs in the Bay of Plenty and Coromandel areas include Trust Waikato Hot Water Beach, Trust Waikato Tairua, Trust Waikato Pauanui, Trust Waikato Onemana, Trust Waikato Whangamata, Trust Waikato Whiritoa, Trust Waikato Waihi Beach, Mount Maunganui, Omanu, Papamoa, Maketu, Pukehina, Whakatane and Opotiki.

Congratulations to all of the award finalists:

BAY OF PLENTY

Lifeguard of the Year:
Jamie Troughton - Mount Maunganui
Shaun Smith - Papamoa
Neko Appelman - Omanu Beach

Volunteer of the Year:
Donal Boyle - Omanu Beach
Sandra Roy - Mount Maunganui

Patrol Captain of the Year:
Shaun Smith - Papamoa
Danielle Shepherd - Mount Maunganui
Haven Bellamy - Omanu Beach

Instructor of the Year:
Garry King - Mount Maunganui
Sophie Godden - Omanu Beach
Ryan Hohneck - Papamoa

Examiner of the Year:
Danielle Shepherd - Mount Maunganui
Ross Cowdrey - Papamoa
Aidan Ward - Omanu Beach

Rescue of the Year:
December 7th - Whakatane
March 5th - Mount Maunganui

COROMANDEL

Lifeguard of the Year:
Martine Smith -Pauanui
Tara George -Whiritoa
Christiaan Maarhuis -Waihi Beach

Volunteer of the Year:
Susan Stewart -Waihi Beach
Jennie Gibson -Pauanui

Patrol Captain of the Year:
Jack Wilson -Whiritoa
Rikayla Richardson -Waihi Beach
Daniel Gordon -Pauanui

Instructor of the Year:
Kate Boersen -Pauanui
Lucy Scown -Waihi Beach

Examiner of the Year:
James Lloyd -Waihi Beach
Spencer Raymond -Pauanui
Chaz Gibbons-Campbell -Whiritoa

Rescue of the Year:
December 29th -Tairua
February 8th -Whangamata
April 19th -Hot Water Beach

Regional awards

Top Eastern Region Rookie:
Emily Pol - Papamoa
Ella Higgins -Waihi Beach
Jack Bonney -Whiritoa

Bay of Plenty/Coromandel Sports Awards

Individual:
Lucy Bartlett, Omanu Beach
Max Beattie, Omanu Beach
Sandra Boubee, Papamoa
Tessa Bradley, Mount Maunganui
Libby Bradley, Mount Maunganui
John Bryant, Mount Maunganui
Matt Cairns, Papamoa
Ben Cochrane, Omanu Beach
Mitch Cowdrey, Papamoa
Olivia Eaton, Mount Maunganui
Ian Glover, Omanu Beach
Jacob Hales, Papamoa
Sophie Hayden, Papamoa
Ben Johnston, Papamoa
Madison Kidd, Papamoa
Jol McGarvey, Omanu Beach
Ross Merrett, Papamoa
Jessica Miller, Mount Maunganui
Ethan Millington, Papamoa
Damian Munro, Mount Maunganui
Lochlainn O'Connor, Mount Maunganui
Heather Osborne, Waihi Beach
Olive Pearce, Mount Maunganui
Natalie Peat, Papamoa
Emily Pilbrow, Papamoa
Deborah Reardon, Mount Maunganui
Greg Rieger, Mount Maunganui
Sophie Sandford, Omanu Beach
Kane Sefton, Mount Manunganui
Daniel Shanahan, Mount Maunganui
Adam Simpson, Mount Maunganui
Jason Watts, Papamoa
Simon Wills, Omanu Beach
Isabella Akroyd, Mount Maunganui

Team:
Mt Maunganui Open Men's Ski Relay - (Sam Shergold, Oliver Puddick, Andrew Roy)
Papamoa Open Men's Board Relay - (Ben Johnston, Danny Hart, Scott Cowdrey)
Whangamata Barrys U23 Men's Boat Crew - (Brandon Dromgool, Josh Kerridge, Sam Stockley, Lyndon Vickers, Andrew Jujunovich)
Mount Maunganui U19 Men's Board Rescue Team - (Hamish Miller & Kane Sefton) 

For more information, please contact:

Lisa Smith, Media & Communications Specialist, SLSNZ
Phone 09 303 9335 or 0276 488 823
Email lisa.smith@surflifesaving.org.nz