Ngāti Porou Surf Lifesaving Club (NPSLC) is reconnecting whānau and the wider community to the moana through Te Ara Tangaroa, an ocean safety programme grounded in a Ngāti Porou approach to surf lifesaving.
“In our district, our drowning rates are among some of the highest in the country. That tells me we’ve become a bit disconnected from the moana. This kaupapa is about reconnecting, creating a pathway into ocean safety in a way that reflects who we are,” says Peter Boyd, NPSLC kaihautū.
Based within the Ngāti Porou rohe and working across Tairāwhiti and wider communities, NPSLC is the country's youngest surf lifesaving club and has trained more than 130 lifeguards over the past 14 years.
Te Ara Tangaroa builds on this foundation, creating pathways for whanau to develop ocean confidence, ocean awareness, and practical surf lifesaving skills.
“The kaupapa follows the kōrero of our tipuna, Paikea. We are iwi moana, people of the sea. Growing lifeguards here is about growing our people back into that space, with the right skills and support,” says Peter.
Through open-water swimming, sailing, waka ama, stand-up paddleboarding, and surfing, Te Ara Tangaroa helps coastal communities develop real-world ocean skills and pathways into surf lifesaving.
“We work directly with our local kura and communities, taking the programme to them rather than expecting them to come to us.”
The programme also strengthens resilience across isolated coastal communities by building first-response capability and ocean awareness, something highlighted as critical following recent storms and coastal events.
Trust Tairāwhiti supported NPSLC with $15k in funding towards surf crafts that will help expand the programme across the coast.