History-making New Zealand IRB teams announced for Lifesaving World Championships

Surf Life Saving New Zealand (SLSNZ) is pleased to announce the two Inflatable Rescue Boat (IRB) teams who will represent New Zealand at the Lifesaving World Championships (LWC) in November.

In an historic move, it is the first time the National Teams IRB event has been held at the LWC, meaning this is the first time New Zealand has had the opportunity to send a national team who will don the black fern to represent their country.

However, the history-making continues with the inaugural female IRB crew also being made – a first for New Zealand in surf lifesaving.

The New Zealand Men’s crew is made up of the following athletes from Sunset Beach Surf Life Saving Club:
- Shane Edwards
- Mark Edwards
- Anton Baptist
- Hogan Shrimpton

The New Zealand Women’s crew is also from Sunset Beach SLSC and includes:
- Taylor Shrimpton
- Jemima Ferrier
- Tanisha Robertson
- Lola Key

Sunset Beach SLSC from Port Waikato are well-known for being the top IRB club in the country and their selection into the New Zealand team gives them some well-deserved recognition to their dedication and passion in the sport over the years.

The athletes join a strong management team including Jaron Mumby as coach, Andrew Lancaster as team manager, and assistant technical coach Scott Wheeler. Both Mumby and Lancaster have competed at the top levels in New Zealand in the past, with Mumby also representing New Zealand back in 2003 in IRB events.

Wheeler also brings a wealth of knowledge to the team having coached multiple Australian champions and medallists since 1998, while being the current coach and member of the Kurrawa SLSC team.

Mumby said he’s really looking forward to passing on his knowledge as an international competitor, but also seeing what the athletes can do at the world level after such an impressive trial against some other talented athletes from around New Zealand.

“It was an honour to represent New Zealand and to wear the fern when I was an IRB competitor a few years ago. In fact, Chris Scott and I were the last crew to represent New Zealand and it’s well overdue for that fern to be passed on to more IRB crews.

“My goal is to help our talented New Zealand athletes become world champions. I am confident in the ability of the athletes we have selected, along with the coaching and management team, to achieve our goal of bringing home gold.”

New Zealand IRB selector, Richard Whinham echoes Mumby’s sentiments but also said, “this is a very exciting time for IRB racing in New Zealand and it was great to see such a high calibre of racing from all crews that attended the trial.

“We are very confident in the teams we have selected becoming world champions when they head to Adelaide in November,” he added.

The two crews will race against the world’s best to try and bring gold home, in a mix of events including the IRB rescue, mass rescue, tube rescue and team rescue events.

To keep up-to-date with their journey, visit the SLSNZ High Performance Facebook page or follow us on Twitter and Instagram - @SLSNZHP.

For more information, please contact:

Alana McIsaac, Media & Communications Manager
Phone 027 515 7157
Email media@surflifesaving.org.nz