Spotlight on water safety

A man’s death at a Northland beach while his pregnant fiancee watched powerless to save him highlights the need for improved water safety education, a lobby group says.

Hong Nghe and two others had been attempting to check a crab pot off Ruakaka Beach on Monday when they were swept out to sea shortly before 6pm.

The men were rescued but attempts to revive Mr Nghe were unsuccessful and he died at the scene.

The Herald yesterday reported Mr Nghe’s fiancee watched the incident as he became the fourth man of Asian descent to drown on the stretch of beach while crabbing since 2011.

His death also comes as Northland had the highest rate of drownings in New Zealand in 2016, with 10.9 preventable deaths per 100,000 people. There were 81 preventable drownings nationwide last year.

WaterSafe Auckland chief executive Jonathon Webber says spending more on water safety, especially on education programs among migrant communities, will reduce the toll.

His team estimated the death toll from preventable drownings could exceed the nation’s road toll if investments in lifeguards and rescue helicopters had not been made.

To complement the work of lifeguards and medic, he said more should be spent educating new migrants because many took up water pursuits giving the country’s easy access to beaches and waterways.