Pukehina Surf Rescue building committee leader Andrew McDowell and club chairman Boyd Harris. Photo / Talia Parker
Pukehina Surf Rescue's hopes of a new rescue centre have received a huge boost from a $1.3 million donation.
The club has been working towards the $4.4 million new facility for the past eight years, and now Surf Life Saving New Zealand has contributed $1.3 million to the project.
Club chairman Boyd Harris said he was "ecstatic" when the donation came in.
He said the club facility was far too small for its expanding needs.
"We physically can't fit any more gear into our clubrooms."
The club let community groups use the club free, but this was increasingly difficult with the lack of space.
"The current building is 100sq m - the new one is 530sq m, so it's gonna be quite a facility for the community to come in and utilise."
The number of people coming to the beach is also increasing, with nearby housing and commercial developments planned.
The club has also expanded its responsibilities by signing up to a Western Bay of Plenty district callout squad to assist clubs in Mount Maunganui, Papamoa, and Omanu.
Harris also said the new building would be a huge improvement for the safety of beachgoers.
The present building didn't have the amenities necessary to see to the mouth of the estuary, "and that's where most of our work is around, us rescuing people at the bar".
The new building would have a patrol tower, which would give them an unobstructed view.
He said the funding from Surf Life Saving was "bloody fantastic - a cornerstone donation", and gave the club certainty.
Andrew McDowell, club member and chairman of its build committee, said the clubrooms were "in dire need of repair".
He said the donation had felt "absolutely awesome" to receive - for him it "was really a 'holy, man - game on'!" moment.
"It was just incredible ... Boyd and I still walk around with a big smile on our face."
He said the new building would be both a facility for the lifeguards, and a multi-use community hub and education facility.
"Pukehina's demographic was changing quite dramatically, and still is, with younger families coming into it - it's no longer the Sleepy Hollow that it was."
He said the club members had "trusted [the committee] wholly" and in return they've "done what we think is the best we possibly could with what we had ... every time Boyd and I could possibly get in front of someone, we get in front of someone".
But the donation was far from the end of the road - McDowell said this was the time "the rubber meets the road".
The club is planning a black-tie fundraising event, A Night at the Oscars, on October 29, with MC Hillary Barry.
The event features a dinner, a charity auction, and other entertainment.
Mel Dwane, the club's events committee member, said it was "an event for the community to get dressed up, dip into their pockets and support the club".
"It has been a purposeful approach that we have not actively sought out community support throughout the build process so far, preferring to allow community and businesses to approach us, while applying to the larger funders."
The fundraiser will target the fit-out costs for the new clubrooms.
Other community groups have also contributed to the new centre.
Tauranga Energy Consumer Trust trustee Mark Arundel said the trust had contributed $400,000 to the new centre.
"The service is a critical provider of lifeguard and emergency services ... and their current club facility is no longer fit for purpose.
"As a coastal region, recreational use of the water plays a significant role in many of our lives, and we rely on surf lifesaving services to keep us safe.
"We recognise the importance of supporting these services so that they are able to respond quickly and confidently to emergencies, as well as provide learning opportunities through teaching essential water safety skills."
A Western Bay of Plenty District Council spokesperson said the council would contribute $450,000 to the "public toilets, changing rooms and external showers in the new Pukehina Surf Club building".
"This is a well-used facility, and we're proud to support it with the backing of the wider community.
"We provide some public toilets within the existing Pukehina Surf Club building, so it made sense for us to provide funding to replace them, and provide new changing rooms and external showers while we were at it.
"This funding decision also helped give the new building the green light which was an important factor because we know this new facility will have many positive benefits for the Pukehina community."
The club has also received donations from MacKay Strathnaver Trust and Bay Trust.
The project is now 75 per cent funded and the club said it had active applications.
"It's part of our life here."