24/02/2026
As we prepare to welcome Surf Life Saving New Zealand’s National Championships to Ōhope beach from 4–8 March, we’d like to give our community a heads up.
The Whakatāne Surf Life Saving Club is looking forward to hosting athletes, officials and supporters from around the country as they arrive to compete in the Surf Life Saving New Zealand National Championships, delivered by Surf Life Saving New Zealand.
While we are the host club and will be supporting on the ground, we are not the event organisers. The event is being run by Surf Life Saving New Zealand, and they will be sharing more detailed communications about event schedules, beach use, traffic management and logistics in the coming days.
In the meantime, we wanted to ensure our local community — especially residents and businesses in Ōhope, restaurant and café owners, and those who regularly use the beach and surrounding roads — are aware that we expect a significant influx of visitors during this period.
With around 1500 competitors plus their supporters travelling to our region, there will likely be increased traffic, particularly in the areas around the surf club and higher demand for parking, dining and local services. It’s a fantastic opportunity to showcase our beautiful coastline and the warm hospitality our district is known for, but we also appreciate that it may bring some temporary disruption.
We’re incredibly proud that Ōhope beach has been chosen as the venue for this prestigious national event. Competitions like this not only celebrate the skill and dedication of surf lifesavers, they also highlight the importance of keeping our lifeguards fit, trained and rescue-ready — which benefits our entire coastal community.
Thank you in advance for your patience and support as we welcome the wider surf lifesaving whānau to our town. We’ll continue to share information as it becomes available and encourage everyone to keep an eye out for official updates from Surf Life Saving New Zealand.
Ngā mihi,
Whakatāne Surf Life Saving Club Committee
