Water Safety New Zealand’s shocking Drowning Report 2021 released this week places 175,000 kids at risk of drowning says one of New Zealand’s leading swim schools.

“While the Report shows adults most at risk, if the country is to turn around these shocking drowning statistics it needs to do more than throw $4.6 million into community water safety initiatives via Sport New Zealand and ACC,” said Mr Bone, Former Olympic Swim Coach and Founder / CEO of Auckland based SwimTastic.

“This should be the wake-up call for Government to finally address the inadequate funding that currently sees some 174,753 primary school age children miss out on Water Safety’s NZ flagship water survival programme,” said Mark Bone,

In 2021, 301,226 primary aged children (aged 5 – 13 years) receive the Water Skills for Life programme, leaving some 174,753 missing out on fundamental water safety skills.

“The situation is not helped when of the 2,500 primary and secondary schools in New Zealand, only around 1,300 schools have a swimming pool, with a media report saying a further 135 school pools were at risk of closing because of health and safety or maintenance costs,” said Mr Bone.

“The importance of teaching children to be safe around water is more vital than ever as drowning remains the leading cause of recreational death in New Zealand.

“It’s no longer OK for the Ministry of Education to pass the buck to schools saying they were required to provide all students with opportunities to learn basic aquatic skills by the end of Year 6 but not even ask schools to report on progress of students,” said Mr Bone.

“If this country is to turn around these horrible drowning statistics I’d like to see more targeted funding available that would ensure all children have the chance to undertake these water safety programmes.

“I

n a small country like New Zealand surrounded by water, it shouldn’t be that hard to see all school aged kids learn about water safety,” said Mr Bone.

Notes for Editors:

• ‘Water Safety New Zealand’s Drowning Report 2011 is sobering reading, showing swimmers in rivers were likely to be Māori men, fishers likely to be Asian men aged 35 plus fishing from rocks, underwater deaths were likely to be Māori men aged 35-65, and power boating deaths likely to be Asian or NZ European men aged 45 plus. Drowning remains the leading cause of recreational death in New Zealand.’ Water Safety New Zealand Drowning Report 2021 - https://drowningreport2021.watersafety.org.nz
• Ministry of Education figures show 475,979 primary school aged children - https://figure.nz/chart/rTaa8YdYdaCbHKnh
• Water Safety NZ Annual Report 2021 shows 301,226 students aged 5-13 receive Water Skills for Life - https://cdn.fld.nz/uploads/sites/watersafety/files/Annual_Reports/WSNZ_2021-Annual-Report-Web-18Oct21.pdf

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