Maketū lifeguards in need of shade

Maketū Surf Lifesaving Club junior surf co-ordinators and lifeguards Mereheni Meads and Caroline Trapski. Photo / Supplied

The volunteers who are keeping swimmers safe in the water over summer need help to keep sun-safe themselves.

Maketū Surf Lifesaving Club has leapt in membership numbers in recent years including a 15 per cent increase in sign-ups to this season’s junior surf programme, which kicked off with nippers training last weekend.

Nippers learn about surf awareness and beach safety with fun as the priority. As they progress through age groups, they pick up surf lifesaving skills like the basics of resuscitation, first aid and identifying beach hazards.

President Mereheni Meads says the whānau and community-focused club has been trying for some time to fundraise for a shade sail on its club deck, but it continually gets pushed out of reach by rising prices.

“At one point we could get a really good [shade sail] for $2000 but as the years go on, everything seems to go up, so every time you get a quote, it’s gone up beyond what we had.

“It would be really neat to get a shade sail. We’ve been doing renovations and really trying to make it nicer for the kids and the guards.”

The club would also like to upgrade its first aid facilities, with membership numbers increasing to about as many as they can cater to.

“Our club is whānau and community based, we spend a lot of time in family units, and doing things during the winter months like a polar dip swim, visits to Rotoiti hot pools, and we’ll have kai and hang out.

Harvey Trapski enjoys some nipper time. Photo / Supplied

“We encourage kids to stay when we’re patrolling. You can’t lifeguard until you’re 14 but you can be there helping lifeguards drag the flags down to the beach and to learn while swimming in the flags about that environment.”

Mereheni says Maketū estuary enhancement work led by Bay of Plenty Regional Council had made changes to the tidal flows, making it even more important to have patrollers watching swimmers.

The goal of the Kaituna River Re-diversion and Estuary Enhancement Project was to significantly increase the volume of water – particularly fresh water – flowing from the Kaituna River into Te Awa o Ngātoroirangi/Maketū Estuary by 2018 while helping to restore kaimoana health and wetlands in the area.

The re-diversion was designed to maximise the flow into the estuary while keeping Te Tumu cut open for flood protection and boating access.

New re-diversion control gates were opened with a celebration in February 2020.

Mereheni said while this work was extremely positive, the additional flow of water made rip currents stronger and more hazardous.

“It’s awesome but it does mean on those outgoing tides we have about 10 per cent more water and it goes out very quickly. The locals have become used to that but some people haven’t seen that before.”