Annual Surf League at Mount cancelled

The annual Surf League at Mount Maunganui has been cancelled after a major review of Surf Lifesaving New Zealand activities.

In a newsletter to SLSNZ members, chief executive Paul Dalton said the board and senior management team had "made the hard decision to not hold the Surf League competition in the 2012/13 season" as part of a range of cost-cutting measures.

"As sport is recognised as key enabler for the development of lifeguards this decision has not been made lightly. Ultimately the decision came down to the national sports programme having to contribute to the cost savings and choosing to not hold a high cost event that would impact the least number of athletes if not held in the 2012/13 season."

Mr Dalton said they prioritised other events in the national calendar ahead of Surf League, and through such cost savings SLSNZ was able to retain the rest of the national sports calendar "as is".

"While not holding Surf League this season is regrettable, it retains the largest national event programme for the maximum participation base with the funding available. The long term sustainability of the national sports event programmes requires a financially strong SLSNZ that is able to subsidise the costs to members and keep participation high, and while there is short term pain, it will ultimately be for long term gain.

"I fully understand that there will be disappointment regarding this decision, but thank you for your understanding of the reasons behind it," Mr Dalton said.