Two Surf Life Saving Clubs win a safer summer for their communities

Otaki and Brighton beaches will soon each have a brand new $25,000 Surf Life Saving boat after their local Surf Life Saving Clubs won the BP Click for your Club competition that got the whole community involved thousands of times.

The two clubs, from the Kapiti Coast and Otago, together managed to pull in nearly 30,000 online votes over three weeks of the national competition, calling on community groups, schools, shops, and members of their community to show their support by voting for them online.

BP launched the competition giving away two Inflatable Rescue Boats (IRBs) for the second year running in recognition of the important role the rescue boats play in helping to save hundreds of lives across the country every year.

Last year alone, lifeguards across the country saved 1,027 lives with about 60% of these involving an IRB.

BP Corporate Affairs Manager Jonty Mills said the efforts made by the clubs and the support from their communities was impressive.

Weve been incredibly impressed by the strength of passion shown by the clubs throughout the competition. Theyve been out there drumming up support, reminding their communities about the essential role Surf Lifeguards play in keeping them safe. The support theyve received is testament to how much these boats matter to their communities.

BP offered clubs around the country the chance to win a brand new IRB, with one being won in the North Island and one in the South. Six finalists were selected (three from each island) to compete to drum up community support, encouraging supporters to go online daily, to watch a video about their club, and to vote for them.

The competition closed at midnight on Sunday 16 November, with Brighton Surf Life Saving Club gathering 16,245 votes and Otaki Surf Life Saving Club pulling in a total of 12,982 votes.

The boats will be delivered to the clubs in the next couple of weeks.

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Two Surf Life Saving Clubs win a safer summer