KFC supports Papamoa surf club with new communications system purchase

KFC Papamoa is one year old, and to celebrate KFC is helping Papamoa Surf Lifesaving Club save lives with much needed new technology.

The new KFC store created 35 new jobs for the community when it opened just over a year ago. A fundraising drive by the store also saw $5,500 donated to the Papamoa club for the purchase of new equipment.

Continuing its support of the local club, this month has seen KFC fund the purchase of a new communications system, which includes 10 state-of-the-art radios for better communication between lifeguards and with other surf clubs and emergency service providers, and a mobile emergency PA system for use during rescue operations and roaming beach patrols.

At a cost of more than $8,000, the new system supplants old, inadequate equipment that was in dire need of replacement, says Papamoa Surf Lifesaving General Manager Kurt Wilson.

“As a not-for-profit organisation we rely on the generosity of sponsors and the local community to help fund much of our operations. Our thanks goes to KFC for this much needed equipment is already helping our lifeguards to better patrol Papamoa beach and ultimately help us keep the community safe,” he said.

Wilson said the surf club had already had a challenging summer with beach closures and the continued clean up of local beaches. In use for the past few weeks, the new system had already providing increased efficiencies, allowing patrols to report in real time any debris or fuel found on the beach.

“We can better communicate with beachgoers, each other, and with other clubs and emergency service providers like coastguard and police. Ultimately the new system will also link us in with a new nationwide communications system that’s being developed by Surf Lifesaving New Zealand and is due to be rolled out in the next year or two.”

KFC General Manager Brent Kitto said the Papamoa surf club played a vital role in keeping the community safe on the beach and in the water, and KFC was pleased to be able to support the club.

Opening in December 2010, the Papamoa KFC store is part of an ongoing building and transformation project undertaken by KFC’s New Zealand owner Restaurant Brands.

One of three developments to open within a year in the Tauranga area, KFC spent more than $5 million dollars developing stores and creating more than 100 new jobs in the area.

KFC in New Zealand

New Zealand’s first KFC restaurant opened in Auckland in 1971 serving the Colonel’s Original Recipe chicken. Today, KFC has 98 stores and more than 2,700 staff nationwide, offering great tasting, fresh chicken that keeps customers coming back.

KFC is part of the Restaurant Brands Group. Restaurant Brands is listed on the NZX stock exchange and also owns Pizza Hut and Starbucks.