Otago/Southland Awards of Excellence Finalists Announced

The finalists for Surf Life Saving New Zealand’s (SLSNZ) Otago/Southland Awards of Excellence have been announced.

These awards not only acknowledge the incredible skills, commitment, and effort put in by individuals to ensure the safety of beachgoers, but also recognise those who have trained others, managed administration, and participated in surf sports throughout the 2022/23 season.

SLSNZ Southern Regional Manager Stu Bryce said, “After a couple of years of restrictions, our Otago and Southland teams had a busy season keeping New Zealanders safe despite challenging surf conditions. We want to thank all members who worked tirelessly on the front lines patrolling beaches and behind the scenes, making sure everything ran smoothly.”

The SLSNZ Otago/Southland Awards of Excellence will bring together Surf Life Saving Clubs from across the South Island, including Warrington, St Kilda, St Clair, Brighton, Kaka Point and Oreti.

Bryce said, “It’s heartening to see so many of our members being acknowledged for their exceptional commitment. The amount of time they’ve dedicated to serving the community is truly inspiring, which makes judging very difficult as every finalist has demonstrated unwavering support to their clubs throughout the season.”

This year’s awards ceremony will take place on May 19th at 5:30pm at the Edgar Centre in Dunedin.

Full list of finalists:

Surf Official of the Year
Doug Henderson - Kaka Point
Joel Tyndall - St Clair
Kate Jerram - St Kilda
Maaike Duncan - Warrington
Rebecca Aburn - Brighton

Event Guard of the Year
Immy Doyle - St Kilda
Kata Hanna - Brighton
Lara Tyndall - St Clair
Paul Gager - Warrington

Coach of the Year
Fiona Wilkinson - Kaka Point
Mark Hastie - Warrington
Rosie Falcous - St Clair
Peter Gibbons, Sam Kinraid & Michael Kinraid - St Kilda

Service to Junior Coaching
Abe MacCormick - St Kilda
Connor Jones - Oreti
Chris & Sarah Chittock - Kaka Point
Isaac Davies - St Clair
Nathan Laws - Warrington
Jon Richardson - St Clair

Sports Team of the Year
Brighton Masters Male Canoe
Kaka Point Junior Surf Team
St Clair Under 19 Male Board Rescue
St Kilda Under 23 Female IRB Crew
Warrington Under 19 Female Canoe Crew

Sports Person of the Year
Charlotte Aburn - Brighton
Hollie Harrex - Kaka Point
Jackson Boyd - St Kilda
Rebecca McNaughton - Warrington
Will Laws - St Clair

Regional Lifeguard of the Year
Madelene Ozanne - Warrington
Madeline Loudon - St Kilda
Phoebe Aburn - Brighton

Beach Education Instructor of the Year
Charlotte Underwood-Nicol - St Clair
Gabby Trotter - Brighton
Olivia Andrew - St Clair
Phoebe Aburn - Brighton

Instructor of the Year
Amelia Lane - Brighton
Carla Murray - Kaka Point
Madelene Ozanne - Warrington
Madeline Loudon - St Kilda
Niam Chronican - St Clair
Rachel Crago - Oreti

Rescue of the Year
St Clair/St Kilda SLSC - 4th February 2023
St Kilda SLSC - 26th February 2023

Rookie Lifeguard of the Year
Gregor Watts - St Kilda
Jamie Blair - Brighton
Olivia Harrex - Kaka Point
Tim O’Brien – Oreti

Patrol Support of the Year
Gregor Chrystal - St Kilda
Sarah Chittock - Kaka Point

Lifeguard of the Year
Aedan Dinnissen - Brighton
Lara Tyndall - St Clair
Madelene Ozanne - Warrington
Madeline Loudon - St Kilda
Sam Webster - Oreti
Trent Dickie - Kaka Point

Volunteer of the Year
Felix Cook - St Kilda
Jacqui Alcock - Oreti
Jon Richardson - St Clair
Nevan Trotter - Brighton
Nyree Dickie - Kaka Point
Paul Gager - Warrington

For more information please contact:
Alex O’Hara – Media & Communications Manager
021 779 292
media@surflifesaving.org.nz