Tahunanui Beach facilities Debate
Community Wellbeing - Education
Option 2
The comments strongly emphasize the educational and community benefits of constructing a new facility for the Nelson Surf Lifesaving Club. Many respondents highlighted the potential of the new clubhouse to serve as a central hub for training and education, significantly enhancing water safety programs for children and the broader community. Additionally, the facility is seen as crucial for expanding the Junior Surf programme and other educational initiatives, thereby fostering community engagement and enhancing overall beach safety and community well-being.
Table of comments:
| Point No | Comment |
|---|---|
| 147.7 | we currently have a world class beach without world class facilities. A new surf club is more than about surf patrols, it is a community hub. It can be used as an educational facility to upskill our young ones in water saftey and prevent drowning incindents around the country. |
| 457.2 | Here's why a clubhouse is urgently needed:Public Service: The Nelson Surf Life Saving Club is a vital community service, consistently engaged in search and rescue operations along a 300 km coastline. Our club provides water safety education, youth programs, and surf sports activities. With an average of over 34 rescues per year, multiple assists, first aids and preventative actions that impact the entire region, our lifeguards play a crucial role in saving lives and preventing emergencies.Community Education and Lifeguard Training: Our current training facilities are massively inadequate and scattered across multiple venues, leading to inefficiencies and logistical challenges. A clubhouse would provide a centralised space for training, accommodating larger groups and enable us to provide beach education programs for local schools, promoting water safety in our region.Health and Safety on Patrols: Existing patrol logistics suffer from limited shade, shelter, and scattered gear storage. A clubhouse would streamline patrol operations (saving over 2 hours each day on patrol), improve health and safety conditions, and provide essential facilities such as shade, shelter, toilets, and a kitchen.Community Presence: A Clubhouse would establish a permanent club presence, increasing public awareness, recruitment, and beach safety. It would foster community spirit, enhance members' well-being, and strengthen intergenerational connections within the club.Future Growth: With the club's predicted growth to 400 members and annual training of 35 - 40 new lifeguards, a clubhouse is essential for managing this expansion. It will contribute to the safety of the entire community by increasing the number of trained individuals capable of performing life-saving techniques.Events and Fundraising: A clubhouse would enable us to host events such as our Club’s annual Prize Giving, and multiple inter-regional surf sports events and trainings, attracting visitors to the region and enhancing our club's presence in the community. This would contribute to our financial sustainability and support future initiatives. |
| 639.1 | Public Service: The Nelson Surf Life Saving Club is a vital community service, consistently engaged in search and rescue operations along a 300 km coastline. Our club provides water safety education, youth programs, and surf sports activities. With an average of over 34 rescues per year, multiple assists, first aids and preventative actions that impact the entire region, our lifeguards play a crucial role in saving lives and preventing emergencies.Community Education and Lifeguard Training: Our current training facilities are massively inadequate and scattered across multiple venues, leading to inefficiencies and logistical challenges. A clubhouse would provide a centralised space for training, accommodating larger groups and enable us to provide beach education programs for local schools, promoting water safety in our region.Health and Safety on Patrols: Existing patrol logistics suffer from limited shade, shelter, and scattered gear storage. A clubhouse would streamline patrol operations (saving over 2 hours each day on patrol), improve health and safety conditions, and provide essential facilities such as shade, shelter, toilets, and a kitchen. |
| 905.1 | I have been a life guard for 20 years and this year was one of the main instuctors for the Junior Surf progamme at Tahunanui. Thsi programme is eveything children need at the moment, time outside learning water and beach safety, learning the importance of teamwork and the role and inportance of volunterrkng in our communities. With a new surfclub facility we coild grow this programme significantly and reach more children from our community. Our children and wider community need this. |
| 1015.1 | i’ve got primary school kids and theres no beach ed programmes run through the school. The surf club provide water education but they struggle with the facilities they have. A club house would be ideal for supporting additional educational water programmes. |
| 1026.1 | Dear Nelson City Council,We wholeheartedly support the council's initiative outlined in the Long Term Plan 2024 -2034 Consultation Document, to develop a new facility for the Nelson Surf Life Saving Club. As representatives of the Nelson Surf Life Saving Club, we are submitting this proposal to advocate for your backing in establishing a clubhouse at Tāhunanui Beach - a pivotal initiative crucial for our community's safety and well-being.We have identified, through careful consideration, that the optimal location for a clubhouse would be where we currently already have two storage containers on the beachside of Bisley Walk. This is our preferred location as it is central along the beachfront, the part of the beach we want to encourage swimmers to; and it is also close to services. As a Club, we are fully aware of the financial requirements to make the Clubhouse a reality. Through extensive research and discussions, we have diligently prepared to pursue grants and partnerships, including regional and national funding opportunities through organisations like Surf NZ. We are confident in our ability to raise the necessary funds and fulfil our commitment to the council, as outlined in your “proposed Approach’ within the Long Term Plan 2024 - 2034 Consultation Document .Outlined below are the compelling reasons for the urgent need of a clubhouse:Public Service: The Nelson Surf Life Saving Club plays a vital role in our community, actively engaged in search and rescue operations along a coastline spanning 300 kilometres, and responding to natural disasters, as highlighted in Nelson floods. With an annual average of over 34 rescues, numerous assists, and proactive measures, our lifeguards are instrumental in preserving lives and averting crises.Community Education and Lifeguard Training: Currently, our training facilities are massively inadequate and dispersed across various locations, leading to operational inefficiencies. A clubhouse would serve as a centralised hub for training, accommodating larger groups, and strengthening our efforts in providing comprehensive beach education programs, particularly for local schools, thereby further promoting water safety within our region.Health and Safety on Patrols: In 2023 the Council prepared a business case for the project, with the independent consultant’s report highlighting the inefficiencies of the facilities, stating “that there is a deficit in meeting levels of service for sports facilities at the Tāhunanui Beach. The most urgent relating to the Surf Life Saving Club’s facilities, the safety of their members, and the ability to respond to emergencies.” Our current patrol logistics suffer from inadequate shade, shelter, and dispersed gear storage. A clubhouse would optimise patrol operations, enhancing health and safety standards by providing essential amenities such as shade, shelter, toilets, and kitchen facilities.Community Presence and Facility Accessibility:Establishing a permanent club presence through a clubhouse would not only elevate public awareness but also provide a facility that the community can use. It would facilitate recruitment efforts, fortify beach safety measures, and nurture community cohesion, enriching members' experiences and fostering intergenerational bonds within the club.Future Growth: With projections indicating a surge in membership to 400 individuals and annual training of 30-35 new lifeguards, a clubhouse is indispensable for managing this expansion. It will significantly contribute to community safety by augmenting the pool of trained individuals proficient in life-saving techniques.Events and Fundraising: A clubhouse would enable us to host various events, including annual prize-giving and inter-regional surf sports events. These events would not only attract visitors to our region but also amplify our club's presence in the community, thereby bolstering our financial sustainability and supporting future initiatives.In conclusion, the construction of a clubhouse at Tāhunanui Beach is not merely a practical requirement but also a strategic investment in public safety, community engagement, and the overarching development of the Nelson Surf Life Saving Club.Tāhunanui Beach is one of the best and busiest beaches in New Zealand, with the worst facilities, so we implore the Council to prioritise and endorse this imperative proposal.Thank you for your ongoing support.Sincerely,Noah Hosie,Club President NSLSCOn behalf of the Nelson Surf Life Saving Club Committee |
| 1060.1 | Nelson surf lifesaving club needs a base. Its a busy beach and it needs patrolling also easy access storage areas for emergency response. My daughter is in the nippers program and loves it, needs to be more accessible for all children. They train in any weather so a space to go to for the theory side of learning is sorely needed not to mention hot showers and decent changing rooms. Water safety needs to be improved and this needs to start when children are young. Schools groups could benifit too. Thanks |
| 1095.3 | Nelson Life saving is vital to keeping us safe abd saving lives . They run an amazing junior programme which i honestly think every child should do at done point as living where we do water safety and survival skills are vital. The club needs a new facility that can be a hub. Everything stored in once place, more equipment ( the existing buildings and strage units are not big enough) to allow better services abd training. A single hub would attract more people to access this vital club and make things better. Embracing the landscape we live in by tte sea and allowing more safety. |
| 1435.3 | I am new to Nelson and have come from Taranaki. I have over 30 years of involvement in surf lifesaving and was appalled at what the Nelson surf lifesaving club have to operate from. The surf lifesaving clubs around nz provide an essential service to the community. There have been countless lives saved by these volunteers and for them to continue to provide that service they need decent facilities to function. Rescue equipment needs to be available quickly and kept in a place that keeps the integrity of it. Having this and a central hub where the community can learn about water safety from passionate community volunteers is a must. I can't think of any other cities in nz on the coast that do not have a fit for purpose facility except for Nelson. If an investment is not made you will loose the resource of community volunteers keeping our beaches safe and the skills knowledge and experience that is relied on when things go bad. It would be an investment in the community and people that can save lives and what is the cost that you put on that. I am.moee than happy to be contacted about this if you wish |