MEDIA RELEASE

Kerikeri, Thursday 24 March 2011

Top Energy Watersafe Programme Continues to Save Lives

Since the mid-eighties, drowning statistics on average have shown a declining trend in New Zealand. However in January/February 2011 an alarming 46% spike in drowning deaths has seen the national toll rise to 35, compared to 24 for the same period last year.

Says Water Safety New Zealand (WSNZ) General Manager, Matt Claridge, “We know that drowning incidents peak over the summer months as people take advantage of time away from work and the warmer weather to enjoy aquatic-based activities, but to have such a dramatic increase in terms of a comparison with last year’s statistics is very discouraging.”

Despite 6 of these drownings occurring in the Northland region, the Top Energy Watersafe Programme, which teaches Far North junior school children how to swim and stay safe around water, continues to have a beneficial effect on the region’s drowning statistics, according to Claridge.

Tellingly, a breakdown by age of the 6 Northland fatalities shows:

AGE GROUP: DROWNINGS*

Pre-schoolers: 2
25 – 34: 1
45 – 54: 1
55 – 64: 1
65 +: 1
All ages: 6

* In Northland to 23/03 for 2011.

Says, Claridge, “What we can conclude is that kids who have been targeted by the Top Energy WaterSafe Programme since 1997 are not showing up as drowning statistics. Over the years, the programme has been very successful in passing on basic water survival skills for what hopefully will be a whole generation of people in the Far North”.

Sport Northland, which administers WaterSafe, says the programme has been so successful in the Far North that it is now rolling it out to the rest of Northland, as Swim for Life. WSNZ is funding this new programme.

According to Top Energy CEO, Russell Shaw, WaterSafe is a major commitment in keeping the Far North’s young children safe. “Rivers, beaches and tidal areas are where most people continue to drown and we have an abundance of all three. So, in the absence of any substantial government funding or commitment to help with water safety life skills, Top Energy has sponsored the programme for the last 14 years. Over this time more than 100,000 lesson contacts have been made, so we believe the programme is making a real difference”, he said.

According to WSNZ, during February alone, ‘accidental immersions’ accounted for three deaths nationally. Sadly, all three were pre-schoolers who had access to water whilst unsupervised. Said Claridge, “While we feel for the families involved, there is really no excuse for these incidents. Parents and caregivers must ensure that younger children are appropriately supervised at all times when recreating in, or near water. In addition, they must provide a safe home environment and ensure that all potential water hazards are nullified, or unsupervised access is not possible”.

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