The dedication of female surf lifeguards, volunteers and athletes took the spotlight in this year’s Surf Life Saving Northern Region Awards for Excellence.

Seventeen awards were bagged by women in the annual awards presented on Saturday, and among them was Waipū Cove club captain Kath Manning, who won an award for her outstanding contribution to Search and Rescue services.

“I feel humbled and am grateful for the recognition,” she said.

As the search and rescue co-ordinator for her club, Manning said her role had often required her to work long and stressful hours, which required a lot of commitment.

She tries to be a role model and encourages other women to pluck up the courage to give surf life-saving a go.

To her credit, she has responded to seven emergency calls this season alone and was a key operator in Surf Life Saving Northern Region’s response to the cyclone and flooding in the region.

One of Manning’s “shining moments” was when she helped as a local duty officer while working with the Northland Incident Management team during the storm.

“Back then, we were responding to heaps of calls around evacuation and conducting house checks, and one of the calls included a farmer who went missing, and we were tasked to search for him.

“One of the interesting things we did was to take an IRB along the farmlands – which was out of our normal scope – and we eventually found him.”

Manning said she was proud of her club members and other Northland clubs for their support.

“It’s always a team thing. You can’t do what you do unless you have got a strong cohesive team.”

Young talent Hannah Lugtighheid was another Northland sensation, as she was awarded the Under-19 Lifeguard of the Year awards.

The Whangārei Heads club member, who was unavailable for comment due to being in the United States, was described as an individual who “teaches best-practice procedures for patrolling, first aid [and the use of] powercraft, and has taken every possible opportunity to upskill herself.”

The Search and Rescue Squad of the Year honour was reserved for the Ruakākā Surf Lifesaving Club, who were commended for their contribution to their Bream Bay community and services beyond.

They responded to 14 incidents this year alone and showcased the skill and professionalism of Surf Life Saving’s Search and Rescue response.

Club callout squad co-ordinator Ben McKernan said they were happy to be acknowledged.

“We are all volunteers who all share the same passion for helping the community,” he said.

A couple of their highlights include rescuing eight people off the rocks around the coast last year and their efforts during the recent flooding in February – which was beyond their call of duty.

This season saw the Ruakākā team’s skills admired and praised by many other agencies, including Police Search and Rescue, Customs and Coastguard.

“We are always open to trying new things that help make us think better when it comes to managing situations.

“We are also grateful to our families and workplace colleagues who have supported us throughout,” McKernan said.

Other winners:

Service Awards: Adam McKernan (Ruakākā), Andrew Forsythe (Ruakākā), Phillipa Taylor (Ruakākā), Ben McKernan (Ruakākā), Tania Ahrens (Ruakākā), Emma Baker (Waipū Cove), Gordon French (Waipū Cove), Jaine Curran (Waipū Cove), Jake McClure (Waipū Cove), Lauren Williams (Waipū Cove).

Distinguished Service Awards: Evan Oxborrow (Whangārei Heads).

Patrol Support of the Year: Tamsyn Siggery (Waipū Cove).