New Building Video

Port of Tauranga Rescue Centre
A multi-purpose rescue centre that serves as a hub for surf lifesaving operations in the eastern region, with the unlikely cross-community collaboration with the Mount Maunganui Bridge Club.

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The Port of Tauranga Rescue Centre (originally named the ‘Eastern Region Surf Lifesaving Rescue Centre’) is a shining example of community collaboration. First dreamt up as a mere storage facility for Omanu Beach Club in 2016, the plans quickly grew into a much bigger vision. Fast forward a few years and there is now a new multi-purpose community rescue centre that serves as a hub for surf lifesaving operations in the eastern region – from the top of Coromandel right down to Tairāwhiti, Gisborne.

The project was ambitious, but the community was determined to make it happen. The proposed site previously housed the Mount Maunganui Bridge Club, and their support was essential. Fortunately, the Bridge Club was excited to join forces with Surf Life Saving New Zealand to create a new community hub.

The Port of Tauranga Rescue Centre is an asset to the whole community. It houses office space for Surf Lifesaving New Zealand, storage space and training facilities for Omanu Beach and other surf clubs in the Bay of Plenty, is a centre for search and rescue operations, and is the new space for the Mount Maunganui Bridge Club. Being the main storage centre for all the equipment that was previously spread out across 19 different surf clubs means responses times to emergencies around the region are significantly reduced.

The construction of the Port of Tauranga Rescue Centre was made possible by a $2.89 million COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund grant from the government and was co-funded by Port of Tauranga, Tauranga Energy Consumer Trust and other community organisations. This funding enabled the project to continue during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the outcomes exceed those originally planned many times over.

COVID-19 recovery funding

Over 150 local people were employed over the course of building this valuable infrastructure.

The facility is a vital part of the Bay of Plenty community providing synergies for search and rescue, surf lifesaving and other local community groups.

Find out more about other surf lifesaving clubs.