The Breeze Mount Everest Challenge is back for 2024! And this year funds raised will be going to the three local surf lifesaving clubs based at Omanu, Mount Maunganui and Pāpāmoa.

It’s the 10th time the challenge has been run, and very fitting that the original beneficiaries back in 2015 have been chosen again this year.

While it may be a breeze to walk up Mauao once, the mission of the charity fundraiser is simple – walk, run, stagger or crawl up Mauao 38 times in 50 days; which is the equivalent to climbing Mount Everest, all while raising much needed funds for a local charity.

Grab a team or do it as an individual.

This year, Tauranga’s 95.8 The Breeze is putting the emphasis on doing the challenge as a team, taking the pressure off individuals trying to reach the goal.

“Clubs, groups, families, workforce teams – spread the 38 climbs across members of the team. And there’s no limit to the team size,” says The Breeze Tauranga Breakfast host Jolene James.

Fellow local Breeze breakfast host Max Baird says the slogan for this year is "climb for life" and that's literally what the surf clubs do.

Mount Maunganui Lifeguard Service operations manager Ali Wieringa says they are “grateful and honoured to be one of the recipients for this year’s Mount Everest Challenge along with our fellow surf clubs”.

“It’s extra special to be benefactors, as our volunteer lifeguards patrol the Mount Main Beach from Labour Weekend – Easter weekend every year, and we also do search and rescues on Mauao, which result in large numbers of injured or unwell climbers being attended to and helped down to safety and medical support,” says Ali.

She says the Mount service will be using the funding to support the much needed running of the surf club.

“It will help to develop our lifeguards with training and leadership to ensure we have highly skilled, fit, qualified lifeguards with the best equipment to look after our local, national and international beach goers for the years ahead,” says Ali.

Pāpāmoa Surf Lifesaving Club is also “hugely grateful” to be as chosen as a beneficiary this year.

"As a volunteer community organisation, focused and preventing injury and drowning, and keeping people safe along the 14km of beach that we patrol, this is huge for us,” says Pāpāmoa Surf Lifesaving Club chairperson Jim Pearson.

“Being chosen as one of the receiving charities will allow us to continue to deliver our service to the community and focus on prevention through education, skills development and mentoring/coaching of our Junior Surf/nippers programme. We are so grateful to be a recipient of the Everest Challenge charity."

Jim says funds raised will be going to support the Junior Surf/Nippers programme.

“With more than 400 kids under the age of 14 enrolled this summer and continuing demand increasing even throughout the summer this money will help supply resources to fund the Junior Surf programme and help educate our young members and their families about the importance of water safety through education, skills development and mentoring and coaching,” says Jim.

“Our Junior Surf members are also our future lifeguards and these programmes also teach the values of being a good contributor the community and the importance of giving back.

“Laying a foundation for being safe in and around the beach and becoming a future lifeguard and contributor to the community are the foundations we build through our Junior Surf programme.”

Max Baird, Charlotte Webb from Mount Maunganui, Scott Bartlett from Omanu, Nikki Heatley from Pāpāmoa and Jolene James.

Scott Bartlett at Omanu says they are very excited that the three clubs along the coast have been chosen for the challenge.

“We’re very grateful,” says Scott.

“We’re going to purchase new lifeguard uniforms for all our lifeguards – that’s a new shirt and a safety hat and shorts. And we’re going to upgrade our trauma packs and our oxygen delivery services. We use those when we patrol and they’re very valuable equipment. If we have an issue on the beach where someone needs oxygen we can use that to help them until the ambulance arrives.”

Over the past 10 years, The Mount Everest Challenge has raised more than $600,000 for local charities. Last year, The Breeze delivered a cheque for $80,441 to Live for More.

The feel-good challenge is not only an opportunity to bust the record of the $95,000 raised for surf clubs in 2015, but also the top amount ever, which was $120,000 raised in 2018 for Waipuna Hospice.

The challenge will run from February 12 to Easter Monday, and teams can register at: thebreeze.co.nz or follow The Mount Everest Challenge Facebook page