Inaugural Water Safety Awards Presented

27 November 2009
Media Release

Inaugural Water Safety Awards Presented

Last night at a Gala Dinner in Wellington, the inaugural New Zealand Water Safety Awards were presented. Sport Northland won the Prevention category award, Taupo’s AC Baths won the Awareness category award and Rotorua’s Unison Lake Safety Programme took the Education category. The winners each receive a $5000 contribution towards professional development.

An individual award was also presented to Alan Haddock, a long time member of the coastguard boating industry, for his outstanding contribution during 40 years of water safety work.

Water Safety New Zealand General Manager Matt Claridge says the awards were introduced to recognise the excellent work being done by Kiwis dedicated to preventing injury and drowning. He says it’s interesting that two of the three category winners come from inland cities.

“This indicates the nominees’ understanding of the need for water safety education suited to the local environment,” says Mr Claridge. “Drowning is the third highest cause of accidental death in New Zealand. We’re an island nation so swimming and survival skills are essential for all of us. Whether we are parents of young children, divers, surfers, recreational boat users or just people who enjoy visiting the beach – we all need to know how what to do and what not to do around the water.

“Water Safety New Zealand has developed a framework to ensure the core fundamentals are being taught by water safety educators,” he says. “These awards are part of recognising our top achievers and those who are role models for our industry. We have some talented people who work tirelessly to keep their communities safe and Water Safety New Zealand wants to thank them for their work.”

The inaugural New Zealand Water Safety Awards were presented last night at an RFD Gala Dinner at Te Papa. The awards and the dinner are part of the first ever international water safety conference ‘Charting the Future’. Hosted by Water Safety New Zealand, the conference attracted a broad range of delegates from New Zealand, Australia, Singapore and Japan. These industry leaders, from organisations such as Maritime New Zealand, Search and Rescue, New Zealand Police, Plunket, Surf Life Saving New Zealand and Coastguard, have been discussing and developing ideas to improve New Zealand’s water safety record.

Keynote speakers included industry experts on technical diving, cold water immersion and drowning prevention lessons from Asia. For more information about the conference, delegates and speakers visit www.watersafety2009.org.nz.

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