Muriwai Volunteer Lifeguard Service

10/04/2026

Reminder: Muriwai lifeguards are not patrolling this weekend but the Muriwai Lifeguards SAR squad will be standing by and the surf club will be open later this afternoon for drop-ins.

Facilities at the The Surf Club at Muriwai include a generator, water tanks and Starlink. There are also plans to offer tea, coffee and snacks.

The action group are working with FENZ and other related agencies.

If you are in the local area, some links you may want to follow include: Waimauku and Muriwai 100%

Also worth checking out is the Muriwai Community Association - Muriwai.org.nz

On that site you will find information relating to the Muriwai Emergency Network

08/04/2026

IMPORTANT INFORMATION - WEEKEND CHANGES

Please note the due to the impending Cyclone Vaianu this weekend, planned MVLS observational patrols for the weekend have been suspended.

If you are heading to the beach, please check for up to date weather forecasts and any potential warnings.

Image courtesy of PredictWind

29/03/2026

Keen to step up and become an IRB Driver?

Our Autumn 2026 combined club IRB Driver program is coming up, and we are looking for lifeguards ready to take the next step in their powercraft pathway. This course concludes with the IRB Driver Exam.

📍 Training Dates
• 2–3 May – Red Beach
• 16–17 May – Muriwai (West Coast)
• 23–24 May – Muriwai (West Coast)
• 30–31 May – Muriwai (West Coast)
• 7 June – IRB Driver Exam #1
• 14 June – IRB Driver Exam (Back up Date)

This course will cover everything required to prepare you for your IRB Driver award, with a strong focus on surf skills, maintenance and a safety.

Spots are limited, so get in quick.

Pre-Requisites:
Current MVLS Financial Member 2025-26 Season
Must be 16 + at start of training
Current refreshed Surf Lifeguard Award
IRB Crew Award

👉 Register here: https://forms.gle/ocKbjp6DawocmqeC7

If you have any questions, get in touch with Caleb - powercraft.instructor@muriwaisurf.org.nz

22/03/2026

Last Saturday Muriwai Volunteer Lifeguard Service hosted a combined IRB driver and IRB crew exam.

In total, there were 32 new IRB Crew from Muriwai, Red Beach, Piha and Karekare, along with 7 new IRB Drivers from Raglan and Bethells successfully completing their exams.

For Muriwai, 7 x Muriwai candidates were sitting their IRB Crew award.

Despite some pretty challenging conditions, every single candidate passed. An epic effort all around and a real credit to the work everyone has been putting in.

Huge thanks to our examining team: Caleb (Muriwai), Brendon and Rob (Red Beach), Lynn and Harvey (Bethells), Stella and Conan (Omaha), and Faron (Orewa). And thanks to Scott Weatherall (SLSNZ Health and Safety Advisor) for chipping in with his wisdom.

Stay tuned for info on our upcoming combined club IRB Drivers course!

21/03/2026

Rounding out the Muriwai Volunteer Lifeguard Service 2026 AON SLSNZ Nationals coverage with, Masters Boaties.

Two of our Muriwai Masters surf boat crews took on Nationals this year — and what a result!

🥇 Muriwai Mixed Nuts raced in the 160–199 Masters Female division and came away with gold. They also finished the season with silver in the NZ Surf Boat Series.

Crew:
Lauren Reid
Sonia Connon
Rashidah Hudson
Lisa McCallum
Melody Bell
Sweep: Danny Tenheuvel

And they didn’t stop there… the Mixed Nuts backed up to race in the Open division across the following three days. Absolute legends.

Muriwai Menaces also had a strong showing, finishing with a silver in the 160–199 Masters Male division.

Crew:
Jonathan Reid
Timothy Burgess
Bruce Davies
Gary Matthews
Sweep: Danny Tenheuvel

Massive effort from both crews representing Muriwai Volunteer Lifeguard Service on the national stage.

Huge thanks to everyone who supplied photos for the Nationals posts. Special shout out to Barb at Barbs.Snapz.

19/03/2026

Throwback to the early morning starts at 2026 AON SLSNZ Nationals.

18/03/2026

2026 AON SLSNZ Nationals wrap up continues. Today we have the Muriwai Senior Sports athletes.

After a bit of an absence, Muriwai was able again to field a Senior beach team at Surf Nationals. This return to the national stage has taken a huge amount of effort by parents, coaches, and athletes to get here but the result was these athletes enjoyed an epic four days racing at beautiful Ohope Beach.

Our Muriwai team of eight, included U15s India MacDonald, Jess Lee, Tori Elliot, Maisie Perkins, James Meaclem and Wyatt Vowles, U17 Holly Meaclem and U19 Matthew Mihaljevich, coming out of retirement, competed against 1400 of the country's best surf athletes.

Ohope hosted close to 100 female and male athletes per U15 and U17 age group, and our team enjoyed exceptional results, with India 4th in the Surf Race and 8th in the Run Swim Run, Jess 4th in 2k Beach Run. Wyatt gained coveted spots in the U15 Male Board (9th) and Ski Final, and raced over the line in 10th position in the 2k Beach Run. We also had a number for athletes reaching Semi-Final positions.

A true highlight of the weekend was witnessing the teamwork during the relays and team events. Tori and Maisie dug deep to drag Holly over the line in the Tube Rescue, gaining the team a spot in the Semi-Final. Wyatt and James were rockstar nsync in their board rescue and went all out for their composite teams in the Beach and Board Relays. Matt and Holly dominated in their debut Double Ski Race (watch this space...).

And as if that wasn't enough, the U17 Female Relay teams put on absolutely stellar displays of fitness, strength and skill as they gained a spot in the Ski Final, came in 10th in the Surf Teams event, and after a show stopping performance, finished 8th out of 47th teams in the Taplin Relay, all after brutal turnarounds in the qualifying rounds.

15/03/2026

Starting off our 2026 AON SLSNZ Nationals wrap up with the U19 Surf Boat crews.

Our U19 surf boat crews put together an awesome Nationals campaign, showing real grit in some close racing and bringing the best tent vibes!

🥉 Muriwai Monsters – U19 Female
Bronze – Short Course

Crew:
Alba Dew
Isabel Morgado
Raya Forsey
Abby Callaghan
Amy Cosslett
Sweep: Danny Tenheuvel

🥉🥉 Muriwai Muscles – U19 Male
Bronze – Short Course
Bronze – Long Course
🥈 Silver – NZ Surf Boat Series for the season

Crew:
Rufus Dew
Cooper Allen
Jake Duckworth
Marcus Watt
Sweep: Bradley Seaman

Huge effort from both crews representing Muriwai Volunteer Lifeguard Service with pride on the national stage. The future of surf boats at Muriwai is looking strong. 🚣‍♀️🚣‍♂️💪

14/03/2026

This evening, at around 4:15pm , lifeguards were advised of a male who had sustained an injury on the beach while kite surfing.
Lifeguards responded and found the man lying face down on the beach, complaining of back pain and a loss the sensation and his arms and legs. Lifeguards provided first aid and pain relief, kept the patient warm and reassured him. Lifeguards, along with the Muriwai First Response Unit (Russell Clarke - who is also a Muriwai lifeguard) then secured the patient onto the spinal board, and transported him off the beach, up the fishing boat ramp, to meet the responding ambulance, where we transferred him to the ambulance stretcher.

Find out more about what we do and, how you can support us: https://www.muriwaisurf.org.nz/support

03/03/2026

Want your say? Read the proposal (links in FB post) and then get in touch.

Email: chairman@muriwaisurf.org.nz

Consultation is underway on the SLSNZ Club Support Model Review.

Surf Life Saving clubbies keen to have their say should get in touch with their club committee or chairperson to find out how to help us shape how we support clubs into the future.

For more info > https://www.surflifesaving.org.nz/club-management/club-support-model-review

27/02/2026

Thanks to the amazing support from and , our patrol captains (and VPC’s) are now kitted out in these sharp new jackets.

27/02/2026

Thinking about getting started in IRBs? This is your first step.

IRB Crew Module – 14th March 2026

The IRB Crewpersons Module gives Surf Lifeguards the core knowledge and hands-on skills to operate as a crewperson in rescue situations.
📍 14 March – Muriwai
Open to current refreshed Surf Lifeguards ready to step up.
Important notes:
- You must be a currently refreshed surf lifeguard
- You must be a current financial member of MVLS
- You must complete the IRB Crewperson Pre-learning module (available on etrainu)

More details can be found on the SLSNZ website: https://www.surflifesaving.org.nz/lifesaving/powercraft-education/irb-crewperson/

🔗 Register now: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/v2mE3VYVEC
📩 Questions? Contact Caleb – powercraft.instructor@muriwaisurf.org.nz