Jandal Day a good fit for lifesavers

Bree McGavin, Andy Kent and Madeline White will be collecting money for National Jandal Day today. Photo / Richard Robinson

Wearing Jandals to work may not be in the workplace dress code but today you could get away with it.

Organisers of the National Jandal Day are encouraging New Zealanders to wear Jandals to show their support for surf lifesaving.

Event organiser Monique Caddy said about 600 businesses and 180 schools nationwide are officially supporting National Jandal Day.

"Jandals are iconic of the Kiwi summer and preferred by the lifeguards, so it seemed a natural fit."

The annual appeal aims to raise $450,000 to go towards rescue equipment and to help educate the community about water safety.

New Zealand has a drowning rate per capita which is twice that of Australia. Every year, about 1420 people are saved by lifeguards from 73 clubs around the country. The lifeguards patrol 15,000km of coastline for nearly 200,000 hours every summer.

This year's appeal comes 100 years after the first lifesaving clubs were formed at Lyall Bay in Wellington and New Brighton Beach in Christchurch.

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