24 Apr 2026
National Patrol Statistics, 2025-2026 season:
Surf Life Saving New Zealand (SLSNZ) lifeguards have wrapped up another busy patrol season, with a mix of challenging conditions, high beach attendance, and strong operational performance across the country.
Nationally, surf lifeguards performed 726 rescues, over 100 rescues more than the previous season (2024-2025). In addition, they performed 888 assists to safety, and 47,463 preventative actions, keeping more than 632,492 beachgoers safe before an incident occurred. A preventative action is when a surf lifeguard identifies a potentially dangerous situation and takes precautionary action to prevent it developing into, or contributing to, a real emergency. This can include preventing swimmers from entering a rip or hole, or moving people into the flagged area.
SLSNZ’s General Manager – Lifesaving, Andy Kent, says the 2025-2026 season highlighted both the critical role of lifeguards and the ongoing risks facing New Zealanders at the coast.
“Across the country, our lifeguards have once again shown exceptional skill and commitment to proactively keeping people safe in often unpredictable and high-risk environments.,” says Kent.
“This season reinforced a clear message – while lifeguards are there to help, the majority of serious incidents continue to occur outside patrol hours, outside flagged areas, or during high-risk activities.”
The patrol season, running from late October through to April, saw lifeguards respond to a wide range of incidents, from major rescues and medical emergencies through to thousands of preventative actions designed to stop situations escalating.
Early in the season, a period of warm weather combined with dangerous and dynamic coastal conditions, especially on the west coast of Auckland and the Bay of Plenty, saw an increase in fatal drownings and serious incidents, before activity eased during a period of unsettled weather through late January and February.
The continued rollout of Public Rescue Equipment (PRE) also played a role in improving outcomes, with multiple bystander rescues successfully carried out using rescue buoys at locations including Cable Bay, Waihi Beach and St Kilda.
“Prevention remains at the heart of what we do,” Kent says. “Every conversation, every flag moved, and every early intervention helps reduce the likelihood of a serious incident. That proactive work is just as important as the rescues themselves.”
Water Safety NZ statistics show there were a total of 63 fatal drownings during the 2025-2026 surf lifesaving patrol season. Of those fatalities, 18 were at - or near - patrolled beaches and occurred either outside surf lifesaving patrol hours or in locations outside the immediate scope of surf lifeguards (for example, at rocky headlands). There were no drowning incidents inside the red and yellow flags, and Kent says the number of fatalities this season highlights the need for continued investment in patrol services, training, and public education.
“We’re seeing increasing demand on our services, alongside changing environmental conditions and evolving risks,” he says. “For example, the SLSNZ response to Cyclone Vainau saw SLSNZ deploying our SAR squad assets between regions to build up our response availability and ensure we were primed in line with severe weather warnings and local States of Emergency.
“Our focus heading into next season is ensuring we have the resources, capability and coverage to meet that demand – while continuing to educate the public on how to stay safe.”
With patrols now standing down for the season, SLSNZ is reminding New Zealanders that responsibility for safety shifts back to individuals.
“The end of patrol season doesn’t mean the risks disappear,” Kent says.
“If you’re heading to the coast, take the time to check conditions, understand the risks, and make good decisions. Those choices can save your life.”
Regional overviews
Northern Region
The Northern Region, which runs from the Far North to Raglan on the west coast, and down to Takapuna on the east cost, experienced one of its most demanding seasons in recent years, with relentless surf on the West Coast and consistently high beach attendance on the East Coast.
Major incidents, including a cluster of emergencies across Piha, Muriwai and Karekare on 8 December 2025, tested the region’s capability and highlighted strong multi-agency coordination and lifeguard response under pressure. Rock based fishing remains a high risk activity, with three fatalities on Auckland’s West Coast alone this season.
In Raglan on Saturday 17 January 2026, surf lifeguards performed 629 preventative actions at Ngārunui Beach – the highest number of the season. Across the weekend at Raglan, surf lifeguards conducted nine rescues as festival-goers celebrated Soundsplash.
A significant proportion of fatalities occurred outside patrol hours and away from flagged areas, reinforcing the importance of public awareness and safer decision-making.
Three of the region’s clubs – Raglan Surf Life Saving Club, Piha Surf Life Saving Club, and Muriwai Volunteer Lifeguard Service were in the top five clubs for rescues performed nationally, with Raglan performing the most rescues for any club nationally – 103 rescues, more than double the number of rescues performed by the second-ranked club (Piha).
Eastern Region
Across the Eastern Region, which comprises the Coromandel through to Gisborne, surf lifeguards managed consistently busy beaches and a steady stream of preventative actions throughout the season.
At the beginning of the season, the decision was made to bring forward the start of the Tauranga Paid Lifeguard Service (PLS) by one week, with PLS patrols commencing from Monday 1 December, with volunteer patrols having started at Labour weekend. The decision came in response to rapidly changing beach conditions and a significant rise in serious incidents occurring along the coastline.
While conditions were generally more moderate in the later part of the season, high visitation meant lifeguards remained active, maintaining strong visibility and engagement with beachgoers to prevent incidents.
Mount Maunganui Lifeguard Service, which performed 42 rescues across the season, was also a key responder in the immediate aftermath of the Mauao landslide and the flooding event in Welcome Bay.
After Raglan in Northern Region, Hot Water Beach, followed by Mount Maunganui Lifeguard Service, responded to the highest number of incidents across the season, responding to 124 and 110 incidents, respectively. The New Year period saw significantly high activity along the Coromandel to Papamoa coastline, with 32 rescues conducted within Eastern Region on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.
Central Region
The Central Region experienced a varied season, with fluctuating weather conditions across Taranaki, Hawke’s Bay and the Capital Coast.
Lifeguards responded to several significant incidents, including two successful resuscitations and multiple rescues during high-risk periods such as Christmas Day.
Teams also played a vital role supporting emergency services in complex situations, including mental health-related incidents, demonstrating the breadth of the lifeguard role beyond the water.
Southern Region
The South Island faced a season shaped by inconsistent weather and large swells, particularly across Canterbury beaches. However, the weather was no dampener, with swimmers and beach goers enjoying the beach throughout the season and into March as the region experienced a late stretch of beautiful summer days.
The Otago- and Nelson-region SAR squads experienced a particularly high number of callouts.
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