Nationals Return to Ōhope Beach for 2026 Surf Life Saving Championships

New Zealand’s top surf lifesaving athletes are descending on Ōhope Beach from today for the 2026 Aon New Zealand Surf Lifesaving Championships, the much-anticipated event of the surf sport calendar.

Back at Ōhope for the first time since 2016, the championships will bring together nearly 1,400 athletes from 46 clubs across Aotearoa, competing across four days of intense racing on the sand and in the surf.

The event showcases the full spectrum of lifesaving sports, from beach sprints and flags to board and ski races, surf boats, canoes, and the demanding Ironperson event.

Surf Life Saving New Zealand sport general manager Zac Franich says the championships represent the very best of what Surf Life Saving sport has to offer.

“This is the biggest event on the Surf Life Saving calendar, where we see a huge range of talent and dedication on display,” he said.

“Our experienced masters, up-and-coming juniors, and our top open competitors all step up and show what they’ve got.”

Unlike many sporting codes, lifesaving competition is built directly on the skills required for operational beach safety.

Each race reflects the techniques, teamwork and judgement used daily by volunteer patrols keeping New Zealand beaches safe.

The return of nationals is expected to bring life into both Ōhope and the wider Whakatāne district, with thousands of supporters, families and officials travelling to the Eastern Bay for the weekend.

Whakatāne Mayor Nándor Tánczos says hosting the championships is a “real privilege” for the district.

“The connection between Ōhope beach, our surf lifesaving club, and our community runs deep; it’s built on commitment, service, and a shared responsibility for keeping people safe in the water.”

Local businesses are also expected to benefit from the influx of visitors, with bars, restaurants and accommodation providers preparing for a busy few days as the beach transforms into a national sporting arena.

For Whakatāne Surf Life Saving Club, the championships mark both a celebration and a challenge.

Club captain Craig Jullian says nationals act as a sign-off of the end of summer, after a season full of work and training.

With around 65 local athletes competing, including returning former members now racing in masters grades, there is strong representation from the home side.

“We've drawn in some of the old members, a sort of 35-year-old group that were all heroes when they were teenagers, and they're back in town with young families, and we've dragged them out of the woodwork and got them back on the gear, and they're really excited,” said Jullian.

“We've got some really neat people and a really neat squad.”

He said Ōhope’s long, consistent stretch of coastline makes it particularly well suited to the scale of nationals, allowing multiple competition arenas to run simultaneously.

“They're all fair because our beach, you can add on another arena, add on another arena, and the beach is all the same all the way along, and we have some of the warmest water in New Zealand.”

While Surf Life Saving New Zealand is managing the event delivery this year, the local club remains focused on ensuring the championships feel like a true community event, one that inspires spectators and potentially draws new members into the club.

“It's very important to us that this is a community event that people can come down to and watch and enjoy,” said Jullian.

“It's going to make another exciting festival weekend for the community and really healthy, fit, wonderful people coming to town to celebrate the ocean and what we do in it.”

Across the four days, athletes will contest:

Individual events: beach sprint, beach flags, 2km beach run, surf race, run-swim-run, board race, ski race, diamond and ironperson.

Team events: beach relay, surf teams, board relay, ski relay, double ski, mixed double ski, taplin relays, rescue tube rescue, board rescue, canoe races and relays, and surf boat races.

Whether a lifelong supporter of the sport or a first-time spectator, organisers say the 2026 championships promise high-intensity racing, camaraderie and a celebration of the crucial skills required to keep our beaches safe across Aotearoa.

The 2026 New Zealand Surf Lifesaving Championships run from 5–8 March at Ōhope Beach.