Update to Members on the Paekākāriki Surf Club Build Project:

We are thrilled with the progress Homestead have made on site. All going well, stage one of the build project will reach completion early in the new year. As the end of 2024 comes around, we think it is worth recapping on everything that we have achieved to date on the project. To date, as a club we have:

• Raised over four million dollars to date for the project.
• Completed designs and worked with Kapiti Coast District Council and Greater Wellington Regional Council to gain consents and negotiate a lease agreement for the new site.
• Worked with Ngati Haumia and Ngati Toa to break ground, and during the ground works, to ensure the cultural safety of the site.
• Demolished the old club rooms and successfully operated out of containers for three seasons, ensuring that the beach stays safe throughout this time.
• Held multiple working bees to improve the grounds around the club and in the park, including landscaping and planting.
• With Greater Wellington Regional Council, rebuilt the public toilets in the park to ensure safe continued use for beach goers, and installed a new outdoor shower.
• With Homestead construction and Mills Albert, we have completed stage one, achieving close-in for the new club house while coming in under budget and ahead of time.

These achievements speak to the quality of Paekākāriki Surf Lifeguards as a club and a community. There are thousands upon thousands of volunteer hours included in reaching this point, whether on the project, completing grant applications, operating a weed eater, running garage sales, or completing a patrol from a container.

It also speaks to the amount of goodwill that exists towards the club within the wider Kapiti Coast/Mana area. The success of the project to date has relied on our commercial partners ingenuity and generosity, and the willingness to get stuck in and achieve those fantastic outcomes.

It is with huge excitement that we’re announcing the next steps in the build project. These are made possible from the funds raised in the last six months, including:

• $500k provided from the SLSNZ capital fund
• $50k from Pelorus Trust
• $50k from the Charity Dinner and Auction
• $40k from Pub Charity
• $20k from Wellington High Performance Aquatics Trust (WHiPA)
• $20k from the Thomas McCarthur Trust
• $20k from the legacy wall
• Over $15k from community-based fundraising, including the garage sale and our 1913 Club.

Our aim key objective for the project at this point is to provide our club members with facilities to operate from for lifeguarding services in the 2025/2026 season, and to provide fit for purpose storage for our emergency response, sport and boat crews. To achieve this, and in keeping with the Terms of Reference for the project updated after the AGM, the next stage of the build will include:

• Installation of the electrical, fire protection and security systems to the building
• Fit out of the ground floor storage areas, including the IRB, craft and boat sheds
• Lining, painting and HVAC systems being installed in the patrol tower and first aid room, including a separate toilet for patrol members and patients in each.
• Completion of the patrol tower balcony and deck, and installation of the balustrade for the stairs.

We’ve incredibly pleased to announce that Homestead Construction are staying with us to complete the works outlined above. Homestead have been a fantastic partner onsite, and their knowledge of the project and the momentum they have onsite will ensure that the best outcome for the project. The current building sub-committee are also staying on to keep working with Homestead to complete this part of the project.

While Homestead will complete the building, we will still need to work to complete the fit out of storage for boards and skis, work benches and lockers in the IRB shed, furniture in the patrol tower, and cabinets in the first aid room. In due course we will also need to fit out a kitchenette within the patrol tower for use by our lifeguards when they’re patrolling the beach. We’re keen to hear from anyone who has skills or contacts that can help us get this done.

At this stage we don’t have detailed plans or dates for the build beyond these commitments. Further work will need to be completed for the club changing rooms and the upstairs community space, kitchen and bar. Detailed planning for this will occur following progression of the works we already have planned. We will also need to continue with our fundraising to complete these spaces, and further work will be dependent on that happening successfully. As always, we welcome any ideas clubbies have for fundraising and encourage everyone to support the project through the Legacy Wall and other initiatives we have underway.

We are looking forward to seeing out the season with you all and want to thank you again for your patience and support during the build process. We want to thank our key sponsors again for all their support that has made the project possible.

We hope to finish this season by moving out of the containers. This will be a huge milestone for the Club to celebrate and will set us up well to head into the 2025/26 season.

All the best

The Management Committee