Sense and skills will save lives

Every year hundreds of Kiwis die in the water. They don’t need to, as Water Safety New Zealand chief executive Jonty Mills explains.

OPINION: Last year 92 lives were lost in preventable drowning incidents. By preventable, I mean those whereby the efforts of the wider water-safety community, through our education, rescue, campaigning and advocacy interventions, could have prevented the outcome. This category represents 80 per cent of fatal drownings.

Our water safety community is predominantly run by volunteers. They do an incredible job keeping people safe on, in and around the water. These are the same volunteers who often risk their own lives to help others. Demand and expectation for their services is growing exponentially on the back of an increasing and ever-changing population, together with growing participation.

In simple terms, there are more people doing more activities across more aquatic environments. Against a backdrop of more Kiwi kids coming out of the education system without basic water safety skills, the long-term warning signs are ominous.

Drowning doesn’t discriminate, nor is it one-dimensional. Although predominantly a male problem, statistics in recent years reflect the diverse nature of our population. High immigration, an ageing population and growing female participation all add to the complexity across a multitude of environments and activities. In 2017, we lost seven toddlers.

The facts don’t lie – drowning is the No 1 cause of recreational death in New Zealand; the second-highest cause of death by unintentional injury for those aged 1-24; and the third-highest cause of accidental death. We sit towards the top end of developed world countries in terms of drownings per capita.

Our waters are welcoming, yet can be horribly unforgiving. We have a culture of water-based activity, both from a recreational and food gathering perspective. Long may that continue.

There is no one answer as to why so many people drown needlessly in this country. Our culture, environment and participation rates are obvious contributors. I also acknowledge that, tragically, accidents will happen.

I’m not one for over-regulation, nor for wrapping our kids in cotton wool. I think it’s a reflection of modern-day society. You can regulate responsibility but you can’t regulate common sense.

However, I genuinely believe that the solutions can broadly be grouped into two categories: skills training (survival) and education (awareness of the risks). I also believe at the heart of the problem is a general lack of fear and respect for the water. I specifically mean the perception of it as a benign playground, as opposed to something that might hurt you, or worse.

A small amount of fear of anything is a good thing in my book. It makes us stop and think about our own ability, the risks and consequences. I can’t sugar-coat it. Although unforeseen incidents occur, the evidence shows that, in conjunction with not having the appropriate skills, most drownings occur because of bad decisions.

So, what do we need to do? No single organisation can solve the problem, no government alone, no single rescue service. Funding alone will not solve the problem. It will take a collective commitment with a fair degree of

‘‘I also believe at the heart of the problem is a general lack of fear and respect for the water.’’ Jonty Mills

personal responsibility from all New Zealanders.

I think there are four immediate priorities that will go a long way to turning the tide: We must ensure our kids come out of the education system with basic water safety skills; we need to secure the long-term future of frontline rescue services; we need to run continuous campaigns to create longterm attitude and behaviour change around water; we must better target those over-represented in the drowning toll, including Ma¯ ori, Pacific Islanders and new immigrants.

It starts with education. Education that gives our kids the tools they need to enjoy the water safely, navigate risk and survive should they get into trouble. Our national standard for aquatic education for year 1-8 children is Water Skills for Life. It goes to the heart of drowning causation.

There are approximately 550,000 year 1-8 children in this country. Our aspiration is to reach every one of them.

Raising awareness and increasing reach is our sole motivation. We want to see a New Zealand where the water remains our playground and every New Zealander has the skills to enjoy it safely, survive should they get into trouble and have the awareness to make wise decisions in the first place.

Let’s be the fence at the top of the cliff and take the pressure off the ambulance below.

Jonty Mills is chief executive of Water Safety New Zealand. Stuff is working with Water Safety New Zealand to help Kiwi kids stay safe in summer. And we’d like your help. The money raised through its Givealittle page will go towards ensuring dozens of Kiwi lives are saved.