Boost To Help Kiwi Kids Survive In The Water

Media release

12 May 2010

State Provides Major Funding Boost To Help Kiwi Kids Survive In The Water

Drowning is the third highest cause of unintentional death
in New Zealand

State Insurance announced today that it will be the major sponsor of Swimming New Zealand, with effect from 1 June. This funding is essential to Swimming New Zealand’s nationwide strategy to lift the swim and survival levels of New Zealand children in the water which has declined by ten per cent over the last eight years.

Ninety-five percent of New Zealand’s population live within close proximity to the water, yet only one in five 10 year olds can swim two hundred metres. Twenty-five percent of all children cannot swim twenty five metres, keep afloat or tread water.

State’s sponsorship demonstrates its commitment to protecting what is important to New Zealand communities and will help Swimming New Zealand substantially increase its limited resources. One example of this is that Swimming New Zealand currently has just four staff around New Zealand to support all primary schools and commercial swim schools. Swimming New Zealand can now take a significant step forward towards its goal to ensure that every major community in New Zealand has access to dedicated learn to swim support, thanks to State.

State Swimstart will provide teachers with the essential framework and methodology for teaching children how to swim and survive in the water. The State Swimstart programme will help increase the quality of instruction primary school children achieve and provide vital mentoring and support to teachers during their school learn to swim days.

State executive general manager, Mary-Jane Daly, said that drowning was consistently the third highest cause of unintentional death in New Zealand, surpassed only by road vehicle crashes and accidental falls.

“Learning to swim and survive in the water are fundamental skills our kids must have, and State knows how important it is help teach these skills in schools.

New Zealand has one of the worst annual drowning tolls in the developed world and State wants to change this by helping Swimming New Zealand support school teachers with teaching these essential aquatic skills,” said Daly.

Swimming New Zealand chief executive, Mike Byrne, said that while ninety per cent of schools provide swimming tuition at school, more than fifty percent of school teachers have not had any swimming or aquatic training in the past six years.

“We are not saying that teachers out there aren’t providing good training, but this is about Swimming New Zealand being able to better support and enable those teachers and provide them with an up-to-date framework that is international best practice.

“State Swimstart means we can provide more training, in every major community, and help our teachers ensure every child can swim and survive in the water,” said Byrne.

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