New Zealand is a world leader in surf lifesaving, a service sport which has been followed in this country for more than 50 years. It grew spontaneously on the country's surf beaches some five years after the birth of the parent movement in New South Wales.
There is some doubt as to which was the first lifesaving club in New Zealand. This is due mainly to the fact that some clubs existed only on paper for a time before becoming active. Some of the first meetings of the senior clubs were those of New Brighton, Christchurch, in July of 1910, and of Lyall Bay, Wellington, in August of the same year. It seems above challenge, however, that the first reel to be used was imported from Australia by W. G. Morpeth on behalf of the Wellington Amateur Swimming Club for service with the Lyall Bay club. By December 1910, Lyall Bay had three reels.
From earliest times the surf movement in New Zealand was a branch of the activities of the Royal Life Saving Society. This society produced its own surf medallion which was awarded for competence in any one of the seven positions of the then standard surf-reel team. There were many attempts to provide separate district controlling bodies. District surf associations were formed in Canterbury and Wellington in 1917 under various names; for example, Wellington had its “Surf Bathers' Council”. The New Zealand Surf Life Saving Association was formed in Wellington in 1932. Since then it has functioned as the main surf body of New Zealand, working with district associations in the main centres. This control has been widened and strengthened until today there are 10 district associations, often wrongly called “surf provinces”. The practice has been to pass local control to a district association as soon as a minimum of three clubs has been established in that district.
The New Zealand system was paid a great compliment a few years ago when the Australian movement, for many years ruled from the offices of the New South Wales Surf Association, decided to adopt the New Zealand pattern. Since then the Australian administration has been happier and as a result, the next step has been made possible – namely, the establishment of an International Council of Surf Life Saving.
The competitive side of lifesaving in New Zealand centres on the Nelson Shield, donated by the late William Nelson, the first contest between provincial teams being at Napier in 1915. The contests went ahead uneasily till 1922, when it was decided for the first time to allow club teams to compete for the shield. From this small beginning came the tremendous three-day championships of today when more than 40 teams contest the main event and where there are more than 30 titles to win.
It is a curious fact that, of the 35 contests for the shield which have been held since club teams were allowed to take part, only once has a province been successful. This was Canterbury, in 1927. The other contests were won by one of 10 clubs as follows: Maranui, 12 times; Lyall Bay, six; New Brighton and South Brighton, four each; Fitzroy, two; and New Plymouth Old Boys, St. Clair, North Beach, Eastern United, and Red Beach, one each.
Certain names stand out among the national champions: A. T. Dalton (North Beach), J. T. Clark (Maranui), N. and C. Chambers (New Brighton), M. Haxton (Maranui), P. Garrett (Taylors Mistake), John Jarvis (St. Clair), R. Harker (Red Beach), and J. Cotterill (Castlecliff). Alan Dalton was the first man to win a New Zealand individual title two years running—in 1936 and 1937. He also won the wartime title in 1945. Joseph Clark has the most remarkable record of all. He won the “double” – the surf-race championship and the individual beltman's title – two years in succession, in 1939 and 1940. Then, after war service overseas and a long rehabilitation period, he came back again to win the beltman's title in 1949 and 1950. The Chambers brothers of New Brighton monopolised the senior surf race from 1946 to 1949 and Murray Haxton performed the unprecedented feat of taking this individual title three years in succession – from 1952 to 1954.
Among other notable achievements was that of New Zealand's “Flying Squadron”, which was never headed in surf events in Australia during the Olympic tour of 1956. The performance of these swimmers in heavy surf conditions was a great surprise to the Australian' champions and was one of the factors which helped New Zealand to run Australia to a close decision in the first international surf contest ever held.
In quite a different category of enterprise is one surf lifesaver who will never be forgotten - Barrie Devenport, of Worser Bay club. In November 1962 he became the first person to swim the notorious Cook Strait, one of the most unpredictable and roughest stretches of water in the world. Devenport swam from the North Island to the South Island and, after nearly 12 hours, reached a rock at the entrance to Tory Channel.
The exchange of visits between Australian and New Zealand teams began in 1937, when a New South Wales team came to this country. A New Zealand team made a return visit the following year. The main trouble in these pre-war contests was the different interpretation of rules. New Zealand was then very new to the six-man drill, but the records suggest that, all other things being equal, the Australians would still have beaten New Zealand in the water.
A three-test series was held in 1950 between New Zealand and a visiting Australian team, New Zealand winning the series, 2–1. This was the only time a test series was held. In 1954 Australia won the only test by six events to three. The 1956 tour of Australia was controversial, mainly because of the confused method adopted in keeping points. In the international surf carnival near Melbourne, New Zealand won the six-man rescue and resuscitation, the individual surf race, and the belt race. At the Australian championships New Zealand was allowed to compete in, and won, the surf teams' race. The concluding carnivals at Maroubra and Collaroy brought more New Zealand victories, but the large number of specialist events left Australia narrowly in the lead. This marked the last time tests were held between the two countries. The Australian team which visited New Zealand in 1961 met provincial teams only
The holders of the principal New Zealand surf titles since their inception have been:
| Senior Six-man Rescue (Nelson Shield) | |||
| 1915 | Hawke's Bay | 1945 | North Beach |
| 1921 | Canterbury | 1946 | Maranui |
| 1922 | New Brighton | 1947 | Maranui |
| 1923 | New Brighton | 1948 | New Brighton |
| 1924 | Maranui | 1949 | New Brighton |
| 1925 | Lyall Bay | 1950 | South Brighton |
| 1926 | Maranui | 1951 | Fitzroy |
| 1927 | Canterbury | 1952 | Maranui |
| 1928 | Lyall Bay | 1953 | Fitzroy |
| 1929 | Maranui | 1955 | Eastern United |
| 1930 | Maranui | 1956 | South Brighton |
| 1931 | Lyall Bay | 1957 | Maranui |
| 1932 | Maranui | 1958 | Red Beach |
| 1934 | New Plymouth Old Boys | 1959 | Maranui |
| 1935 | Lyall Bay | 1960 | South Brighton |
| 1936 | Lyall Bay | 1961 | South Brighton |
| 1937 | Maranui | 1962 | Waikanae |
| 1938 | St. Clair | 1963 | Eastern United |
| 1939 | Maranui | 1964 | Eastern United |
| 1940 | Lyall Bay | 1965 | South Brighton |
| Senior Four-man Alarm | |||
| 1927 | Maranui | 1951 | Taylors Mistake |
| 1928 | Canterbury | 1952 | Taylors Mistake |
| 1929 | Lyall Bay | 1953 | East End |
| 1930 | Lyall Bay | 1954 | Maranui |
| 1931 | Maranui | 1955 | Eastern United |
| 1935 | Fitzroy | 1956 | Maranui |
| 1936 | Lyall Bay | 1957 | Eastern United |
| 1937 | Maranui | 1958 | Eastern United |
| 1938 | Maranui | 1959 | New Brighton |
| 1939 | New Brighton | 1960 | Waikanae |
| 1940 | Maranui | 1961 | Taylors Mistake |
| 1946 | Maranui | 1962 | Lyall Bay |
| 1947 | North Beach | 1963 | Waikanae |
| 1948 | Maranui | 1964 | Eastern United |
| 1949 | Waitemata | 1965 | Eastern United |
| 1950 | South Brighton |
| Senior Belt Races | |
| 1927 | D. J. Murrell (Maranui) |
| 1928 | C. Atkinson (Canterbury) |
| 1929 | G. Harrison (Opunake) |
| 1930 | J. C. Blakeley (Lyall Bay) |
| 1931 | J. Brown (Opunake) |
| 1932 | C. B. Eversleigh (Maranui) |
| 1934 | F. L. Clark (Lyall Bay) |
| 1935 | W. J. Harris (St. Clair) |
| 1936 | A. T. Dalton (North Beach) |
| 1937 | A. T. Dalton (North Beach) |
| 1938 | J. C. Blakeley (Lyall Bay) |
| 1939 | J. T. Clark (Maranui) |
| 1940 | J. T. Clark (Maranui) |
| 1945 | A. T. Dalton (North Beach) |
| 1946 | H. Goldsmith (Taylors Mistake) |
| 1947 | C. Chambers (New Brighton) |
| 1948 | W. Dyson (Maranui) |
| 1949 | J. T. Clark (Maranui) |
| 1950 | J. T. Clark (Maranui) |
| 1951 | P. Bevin (Waitemata) |
| 1952 | N. Chambers (New Brighton) |
| 1953 | R. Bevin (North Piha) |
| 1954 | B. Trotter (North Piha) |
| 1955 | B. McLean (Waikanae) |
| 1956 | P. Garrett (Taylors Mistake) |
| 1957 | J. Ryan (New Brighton) |
| 1958 | G. Pratley (Taylors Mistake) |
| 1959 | R. Blair (South Brighton) |
| 1960 | R. Blair (South Brighton) |
| 1961 | R. Blair (South Brighton) |
| 1962 | R. Blair (South Brighton) |
| 1963 | B. Crowder (Maranui) |
| 1964 | B. Crowder (Maranui) |
| 1965 | R. N. Harker (Red Beach) |
| Senior Surf Race | |
| 1934 | D. Shanahan (Waitemata) |
| 1935 | W. J. Jarvis (St. Clair) |
| 1936 | J. C. Blakeley (Lyall Bay) |
| 1937 | R. Pelham (Lyall Bay) |
| 1938 | F. G. Ryan (Lyall Bay) |
| 1939 | J. T. Clark (Maranui) |
| 1940 | J. T. Clark (Maranui) |
| 1945 | H. Dean (New Brighton) |
| 1946 | N. Chambers (New Brighton) |
| 1947 | C. Chambers (New Brighton) |
| 1948 | C. Chambers (New Brighton) |
| 1949 | N. Chambers (New Brighton) |
| 1950 | R. Simmons (New Brighton) |
| 1951 | F. C. Lucas (Waitemata) |
| 1952 | M. Haxton (Maranui) |
| 1953 | M. Haxton (Maranui) |
| 1954 | M. Haxton (Maranui) |
| 1955 | R. Woodall (Waitemata) |
| 1956 | P. Garrett (Taylors Mistake) |
| 1957 | R. Harker (Waitemata) |
| 1958 | F. Lucas (Piha) |
| 1959 | R. Harker (Red Beach) |
| 1960 | B. Crowder (Maranui) |
| 1961 | R. Blair (South Brighton) |
| 1962 | B. Crowder (Maranui) |
| 1963 | R. Harker (Red Beach) |
| 1964 | B. Crowder (Maranui) |
| 1965 | R. N. Harker (Red Beach) |
| Junior Six-man Rescue | |
| 1934 | North Shore |
| 1935 | Maranui |
| 1936 | St. Clair |
| 1937 | Lyall Bay |
| 1938 | Lyall Bay |
| 1939 | Maranui |
| 1940 | Maranui |
| 1944 | South Brighton |
| 1945 | South Brighton |
| 1946 | New Brighton |
| 1947 | Maranui |
| 1949 | South Brighton |
| 1950 | Opunake |
| 1951 | Waikanae |
| 1952 | Worser Bay |
| 1953 | Maranui |
| 1954 | Maranui |
| 1955 | Waikanae |
| 1956 | South Brighton |
| 1957 | Worser Bay |
| 1959 | New Plymouth Old Boys |
| 1960 | Lyall Bay |
| 1961 | Lyall Bay |
| 1962 | Lyall Bay |
| 1963 | Waimairi |
| 1964 | South Brighton |
| 1965 | Waikanae |
| Women's Six-place Rescue | |
| 1944 | St. Clair |
| 1946 | Wellington Ladies |
| 1950 | Whakatane |
| 1951 | St. Clair |
| 1954 | Taylors Mistake |
| 1955 | Taylors Mistake |
| 1956 | Taylors Mistake |
| 1957 | Gisborne |
| 1959 | Taylors Mistake |
| 1960 | South Brighton |
| 1961 | South Brighton |
| 1962 | South Brighton |
| 1963 | South Brighton |
| 1964 | Taylors Mistake |
| 1965 | South Brighton |
(NOTE—Gaps in the above list are due to certain events having been abandoned on account of weather conditions.)