Deaths tied to kai gathering

Nearly half of Kiwi drownings this year have involved people “kai gathering”.

Eight people have now died while finding food, including two men diving at Kakanui Beach, south of Oamaru, on Tuesday afternoon.

Several people and water craft helped search after three men were reported missing about 5.30pm.

One man got back to the shore with no injuries, but two were found dead.

Water Safety NZ statistics show 18 people have drowned so far this year.

Several of the kai-gathering deaths have been in Northland.

Bruce Ngapera, 65, died in early January after falling from his small boat on the Hokianga Harbour.

On January 4, Te Hei Kahurangi Rogers, 44, of Kaikohe went missing while diving next to a rocky islet near Moturoa Island in the Bay of Islands.

Water Safety NZ chief executive Jonty Mills said this week’s drownings were “another tragic situation”.

“This is the eighth preventable fatality this year relating to food gathering or kai gathering. It’s part of who we are as Kiwis, it’s part of our culture and all play in the water in some way, shape or form and fishing or food gathering is a bit part of that, particularly culturally.”

Mills said it was a real balance between Kiwis’ love of kai gathering and having a respect for the water.

“Generally while our waters are incredibly welcoming . . . they can be very unforgiving. We’re an island nation . . . but we lose far too many people in preventable situations.”

It was timely for people to remember to know their limits, being aware of local knowledge and conditions.

“Particularly with kai gathering, it’s that balance between that real desire to go out and get food and whether they should have gone out in the first place or waited for the next day.

“It is a balance between having that awareness, that local knowledge, knowing your own limits and being prepared for the activity that you’re undertaking.”

Diving was a good example, in that people should never dive alone, he said — although this week the victims were with buddies.

Mills said more people were getting involved in water-based activities, which was reflected in the record number of rescues and callouts for Coastguard and surf lifesaving crews.

Despite that, the number of drownings did appear to be falling, with the 18 deaths so far this year slightly lower than the 22 who had drowned at same time last year.

In 2018, 68 people drowned, compared with 92 in 2017.