Eastern Region Awards of Excellence finalists announced

Surf Life Saving Clubs across Gisborne, the Bay of Plenty and Coromandel are getting set to celebrate the contribution made by its members over the past season with the annual Zespri Awards of Excellence.

Every year, regional Awards of Excellence ceremonies are held around the country to officially recognise members for their hard work and dedication to Surf Life Saving in New Zealand.

The ceremonies include the presentation of lifesaving, sport and regional service awards.

Some of the top awards will include Lifeguard of the Year, Volunteer of the Year, Rescue of the Year and Zespri Club of the Year.

Zespri General Manager Grower & External Relations Dave Courtney says supporting Surf Life Saving in the regions which grow most of New Zealand's kiwifruit is Zespri's way of supporting local communities.

"We're proud to support the lifeguards from Coromandel to Gisborne as they keep our beaches safe for everyone to enjoy and it's great to see them recognised at these awards."

The Zespri Gisborne/Tairāwhiti Awards of Excellence will take place at Te Tini o Porou on Saturday July 8 and feature World Champion Black Fin Laura Quilter as a special guest speaker.

Surf Life Saving Clubs in the Gisborne/Tairāwhiti area include Ūawa Tiaki Tai-Tolaga Bay, Wainui, Waikanae, Midway and Ngāti Porou.

Gisborne/Tairawhiti finalists:

Emerging Coach of the Year:
Casie Fyall- Waikanae
Jessica Blakeman- Midway
Georgia Harris- Wainui

Coach of the Year:
Cory Hutchings- Waikanae
Matthew Sutton- Midway
Sonia Keepa- Wainui

Emerging Official of the Year:
Katrina Duncan- Waikanae
Peter Simmons- Wainui

Official of the Year:
Alistair Thorpe- Waikanae
Susan Quilter- Wainui

Sports Team of the Year:
Midway U19 Women's Taplin Team -Olivia Corrin, Alex Bermingham and Danielle Scott
Waikanae Double Ski Team- Waikanae SLSC Quaid Thompson & Zach Ferkins
Wainui U19 Men's Canoe Crew - Colby Putnam, Jacque Klavs, George Zame & Joseph Zame

Sports Person of the Year- U14 Male:
Lachie Falloon- Waikanae
Ruben Bronlund- Midway
Sam Mason-Green- Wainui

Sports Person of the Year- U14 Female:
Briana Irving- Waikanae
Jodiesha Kirkpatrick- Midway

Sports Person of the Year- U16 Male:
Louis Birkhead- Wainui
Matthew Proffit- Waikanae
Will Pittar- Midway

Sports Person of the Year- U16 Female:
Briana Irving- Waikanae
Saffi Vette- Wainui

Sports Person of the Year- U19 Male:
Blake Brown- Midway
Jack Virtue- Wainui
Quaid Thompson- Waikanae

Sports Person of the Year- U19 Female:
Aberdeen Falwasser-Logan- Wainui
Jamie Gedye- Waikanae
Olivia Corrin- Midway

Sports Person of the Year- Open Male:
Cory Taylor- Midway
Max Neustroski- Waikanae

Sports Person of the Year- Open Female:
Casie Fyall- Waikanae
Laura Quilter- Wainui
Olivia Corrin- Midway

International Performance of the Year:
Casie Fyall- Waikanae
Cory Taylor- Midway
Laura Quilter- Wainui

Lifeguard of the Year:
Connor Mitchell- Waikanae
Georgia Harris- Wainui
Jara Swann- Ngati Porou
Rama Robertson- Midway

Regional Lifeguard of the Year:
Hoakima Harris-Marino - Tolaga Bay
Steffan John - Midway
Wiremu Gray - Tolaga Bay

Patrol Captain of the Year:
Ashley Donaldson- Wainui
Jara Swann- Ngati Porou
Mark Van Wijk- Midway
Michelle Mitchell- Waikanae

Instructor of the Year:
Connor Mitchell- Waikanae
John Minogue- Wainui

Beach Ed Instructor of the Year:
Sonia Keepa- Wainui
Turoa Kohatu- Tolaga Bay
Wiremu Gray- Tolaga Bay

Examiner of the Year:
Andrew Shelton- Midway
Michelle Mitchell- Waikanae
Jeremy Lockwood- Wainui

Volunteer of the Year:
Jared Phelps- Midway
Michelle Mitchell- Waikanae
Sonia Keepa- Wainui

Patrol Club of the Year:
Ngati Porou
Tolaga Bay
Waikanae

Overall Club of the Year:
Midway
Waikanae
Wainui

The Gisborne ceremony will be followed by the Zespri Bay of Plenty/Coromandel Awards of Excellence at Club Mt Maunganui on Saturday July 22. The evening's entertainment will be provided by local performer Waylon McPherson and special guest speaker, international role model William Pike.

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.

To allow for the recognition of more volunteers across the large area, the lifesaving awards are split between the two respective areas.

BOP/Coromandel finalists:

Emerging Coach of the Year:
Scott Cowdrey - Papamoa
Craig Julian - Whakatane

Coach of the Year:
John Bryant - Mt Maunganui
Thomas Lowe - Whangamata

Emerging Official of the Year:
Donna Gardiner - Mt Maunganui
Lois Moyes - Whakatane
Sarah Farr - Papamoa

Official of the Year:
Catriona Manning - Whakatane
Greg Rieger - Mt Maunganui

Sports Team of the Year:
Whangamata Barrys - Sam Stockley, Josh Kerridge, Lyndon Vickers, Brandon Dromgool, Andrew Jujunovich
Papamoa Open Men's Board Relay - Scott Cowdrey, Mitch Cowdrey, Ben Johnston
Mt Maunganui Open Men's Taplin Team - Adam Simpson, Perry Farrell, Oliver Puddick, Andrew Roy, Andrew Newton, Sam Shergold

Sports Person of the Year- U14 Male:
Daniel Shanahan - Mt Maunganui
Jamie Julian - Whakatane
Nathaniel Jed Allen - Whangamata

Sports Person of the Year- U14 Female:
Lucinda Bartlett- Omanu Beach
Lulu Johnson - Mt Maunganui
Talitha McEwan - Papamoa

Sports Person of the Year- U16 Male:
Leon Castle - Papamoa
Lochlainn O'Connor - Mt Maunganui

Sports Person of the Year- U16 Female:
Isabella Akroyd - Mt Maunganui
Jenna Stephenson - Papamoa
Sophie Sandford - Omanu Beach

Sports Person of the Year- U19 Male:
Hamish Miller - Mt Maunganui
John Clark - Papamoa

Sports Person of the Year- U19 Female:
Carla Reid - Whakatane
Libby Bradley - Mt Maunganui
Michelle Dykes - Papamoa

Sports Person of the Year- Open Male:
Adam Simpson - Mt Maunganui
Ben Johnston - Papamoa
Max Beattie - Omanu Beach

Sports Person of the Year- Open Female:
Devon Halligan - Omanu Beach
Madison Kidd - Papamoa
Olivia Eaton - Mt Maunganui

Sports Person of the Year- Masters Male
Brendon Davey - Whakatane
Ian Glover - Omanu Beach
Julien Lalanne - Mt Maunganui

Sports Person of the Year- Masters Female
Catriona Manning - Whakatane
Deborah Reardon - Mt Maunganui
Jol McGarvey - Omanu Beach

International Performance (Individual)
Max Beattie - Omanu Beach
Natalie Peat - Papamoa
Olivia Eaton - Mt Maunganui

International Performance (Team)
Whangamata Barrys - Sam Stockley, Josh Kerridge, Lyndon Vickers, Brandon Dromgool, Andrew Jujunovich
Omanu Beach World Masters -Ian Glover, Kim Harker & Anthony Gadsby
Mt Maunganui U19 Male Board Rescue Team - Hamish Miller & Daniel Barron

Rookie Lifeguard of the Year:
Kyle Parker - Whangamata
Terri Warner - Tairua
Campbell Julian - Whakatane

BOP Lifeguard of the Year:
Danielle Shepherd - Mt Maunganui
Haven Bellamy - Omanu Beach
Boyd Harris - Pukehina

CORO Lifeguard of the Year:
Chaz Gibbons-Campbell - Whiritoa
Max Jones - Whangamata
Georgia Eldridge - Waihi Beach

BOP Regional Lifeguard of the Year:
Felix Cook - Mt Maunganui
Jackson Edwards - Papamoa
Joanne Parry - Pukehina

CORO Regional Lifeguard of the Year:
Rikayla Richardson -Waihi Beach
Natalie Wilson -Whangamata
Laura Beanland-Stephens -Tairua

BOP Patrol Captain of the Year:
Kent Jarman - Mt Maunganui
Troy Hart - Pukehina
Gabriel Brockelsby - Omanu Beach

CORO Patrol Captain of the Year:
Connor Gibson - Whangamata
Daniel Gordon - Pauanui
Rikayla Richardson - Waihi Beach

BOP Instructor of the Year:
Garry King - Mt Maunganui
Gabriel Brockelsby - Omanu Beach
Ryan Hohneck - Papamoa

CORO Instructor of the Year:
Jessica Marvin - Whangamata
Cameron Bishop - Whiritoa

BOP Beach Ed Instructor of the Year:
Dannielle O'Connor - Omanu Beach
Perry Farrell - Mt Maunganui
Cameron Hayes - Mt Maunganui

CORO Beach Ed Instructor of the Year:
Rikayla Richardson -Waihi Beach
Ollie Frere-Smith - Omanu Beach
Libby Clifton - Whiritoa

BOP Examiner of the Year:
Danielle Shepherd - Mt Maunganui
Briar Macken - Omanu Beach

CORO Examiner of the Year:
James Lloyd - Waihi Beach
Chaz Gibbons-Campbell - Whiritoa
Rachelle Bright - Whangamata

BOP Volunteer of the Year:
Angelique Chrtis-Redmond - Maketu
Paul Treanor - Mt Maunganui
Jason Rive - Pukehina

CORO Volunteer of the Year:
Cheryl Goffin - Whangamata
Jenny Peploe - Pauanui

BOP Rescue of the Year:
Mt Maunganui
Omanu Beach
Whakatane

BOP Patrol Club of the Year:
Pukehina
Omanu Beach
Whakatane

CORO Patrol Club of the Year:
Hot Water Beach
Pauanui
Waihi Beach

BOP Overall Club of the Year:
Omanu Beach
Mt Maunganui
Whakatane

CORO Overall Club of the Year:
Waihi Beach
Pauanui
Hot Water Beach

Tickets:

Gisborne: Tickets cost $20 per person and are available through club admins before June 30.
For more information, please contact Renee Wikaire on 027 963 9189

BOP/Coromandel: Tickets cost $40 per person (including buffet dinner and desert) and are available through club admins before July 7.
For more information, please contact Chaz Gibbons-Campbell on 027 562 3337

For more information, please contact:

Lisa Smith, Media & Communications Manager, SLSNZ
Phone 0276 488 823 or email  lisa.smith@surflifesaving.org.nz

or 

Chaz Gibbons-Campbell, Club & Member Development Officer, Surf Life Saving Eastern Region
Phone 027 562 3337 or email chaz.gibbons-campbell@surflifesaving.org.nz