Competitions have a long and proud history within the Surf Life Saving movement and continue to play a significant role in ensuring that our members have the ability and passion to meet the challenging environments within which Surf Life Saving delivers its essential lifesaving service.
From local surf carnivals to our National Championships, competition brings the membership together and provides opportunities for Juniors through to Masters to develop and compete across huge range of disciplines.
2020-2021 Competitions and Results
In this section you will find the 2020-2021 season competitions information, links to the overall competitions and activities calendar along with the results. Competitions in this section have been organised in the following titles:
- Pool Rescue Competitions
- IRB Competitions
- Surf Boat Competitions
- Junior (Nippers) Competitions
- Senior and Masters Competitions
TSB Nationals - TSB New Zealand Surf Life Saving Championships
The TSB Nationals (TSB New Zealand Surf Life Saving Championships) represents the pinnacle competition of the season with 1500 athletes anticipated to attend each summer. From Masters who have lost track of the number of Nationals they have attended to 14 year olds experiencing the competition for the first time, TSB Nationals caters to all levels of participation and almost all aspects of Surf Life Saving. You will see New Zealand representatives, canoes, surf boat crews, surf swimmers, beach sprinters, ski and board paddlers all having a crack at being the next National Champion!
The TSB Nationals was originally named the Royal Lifesaving Society Championships and was first held in 1915 in Napier. In 1933, it was renamed the New Zealand Surf Life Saving Association National Championships and was held in Foxton (but abandoned).
New Zealand Pool Rescue Championships
The New Zealand Pool Rescue Championships take place around October each season, making it the first of our many National Championship competitions for the season. This event serves as an important development competition for our Surf Lifeguards and aspiring Surf Lifeguards, as they continue to develop important lifesaving skills for the season ahead. The New Zealand Pool Rescue Championships is iconic for being the only competition that includes our junior, senior and masters age groups in the same venue over three epic days of competition.
Oceans
Oceans, the premier Junior Surf Life Saving competition that has been running for over 20 years. Since its conception in 2000, Oceans has had a proud history of being not only the largest Junior Surf Life Saving Event in New Zealand, but the most competitive, exciting and fun! The competition started 20 years ago at Mt Maunganui Main Beach, and still celebrates the very best of our future Surf Life Savers as our members compete with their friends and against their fellow clubs.
The events vision is:
- To provide the best possible Surf Life Saving experience for all juniors with the view to encourage long-term active participation.
- To provide opportunities for juniors to actively participate in and enjoy Surf Life Saving and competition in an aquatic environment.
- To ensure our junior members are safe on New Zealand's beaches through building knowledge and experiences in the Junior Surf programme.
- To develop a team based philosophy encompassing leadership, camaraderie, teamwork, and fun.
- To promote social, emotional and physical growth and development in a healthy and safe environment.
BP New Zealand IRB Championships
The BP New Zealand IRB Championships has a proud history of being filled with hard, fast, and action-packed racing. The largest Inflatable Rescue Boat racing competition on the Surf Life Saving calendar, crews from throughout the country will line up to showcase their surf skills, fitness and experience amongst their peers.
The competition includes several events, requiring varying levels of technical skill and physical fitness. With surf and weather conditions constantly changing, the competition has proved to be one of the most exciting competitions of the Surf Life Saving calendar.
Follow our competitions through Waves Results Live.
Check out New Zealand's Pool Rescue Records.
View the action from Competitions on our YouTube Channel.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.