Community Water Safety Education

Community Water Safety Education

Highlights from our April activity including Wai Wise, a global drowning prevention event at Vector Wero Whitewater Park and the new one-day SPLASH holiday programme.

Wai Wise Programme

One of DPA’s flagship programmes, Wai Wise, ran for the first time with Auckland’s Asian community last month.

The programme provides an insight of water safety learning through both theory sessions and a series of practical workshops to improve water competence, survival and safety skills. Over twenty participants from Chinese Dragon Boat Association (CDBA) nicknamed the Dragon Riders, took part. over several weekends. . Whilst participants joined with boating experience from paddling dragon boats, they lacked water safety knowledge and experience.

DPA partnered with Coastguard Boating Education (CBE) who supported the courses on Day Skipper and In-water Survival.

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“I thought water safety was all about swimming techniques before joining Wai Wise, and now I realised there is way more knowledge and experience that we need to gain. I feel lucky to have been the Skipper of the boat in the drowning simulation and rescue scenario. I practiced using the communication device on Channel 16, then started to deliver Distress code on Mayday, and I wish to let other Asian communities know that participation in these programmes is important for all of us”
Shan Shan Xu

Global water safety and drowning prevention event – Vector Wero Whitewater Park

Last month, Vector Wero hosted a global water safety and drowning prevention event in collaboration with several key partners in the aquatics industry. The event provided members of the public with free in-water experiences, lessons and resources to keep themselves safer in on and around the water. The activities included white water rafting, stand up paddleboarding, canoe polo and kayaking.

It was fantastic to see such high levels of engagement with hundreds of people learning and having fun.

The DPA team provided guidance and information on Auckland’s navigational safety bylaws, lifejacket use, pool safety messaging and ran a real time demonstration of the 4R’s for bystander rescue. The demonstration teaches members of the public how to assist people in the water without putting themselves at risk. This is an important skill to learn as statistics show us that 3% of rescuers who enter the water to save somebody in distress end up drowning themselves.

What are the 4Rs of Bystander Rescue

  • Recognition This emphasises the importance of recognising when someone is at risk of drowning and taking action to prevent it. This includes being aware of the signs of distress, such as gasping for air or struggling to stay afloat and taking immediate action to assist them. It is also important to keep an eye on those who are swimming or playing in the water, particularly children or those who may not be strong swimmers.
  • Respond If someone is in danger of drowning, the next step is to respond quickly. This may involve alerting others in the area, such as lifeguards, other swimmers or calling 111 and asking for the police. It is important to remember that time is of the essence in a drowning situation, so any delay in responding could have serious consequences.
  • Rescue The next step is to rescue the person in danger. This may involve using tools around you including, flotation devices, water bottles, sticks, throwing a rope or other objects to the person which will assist in keeping them afloat until they are able to swim to shore or until help arrives.
  • Resuscitation Finally, once the person has been rescued, it is important to revive them if necessary. This may involve performing CPR at a rate of 30 compressions and two breaths or other lifesaving techniques like the recovery position until emergency responders arrive.

Complete the free Bystander Rescue lesson within the Water Safety for Youth and Young Adults eLearning module.

For more information about events, contact Harry Aonga – Team Leader Community Education & Events: [email protected] or on 0211118674.

April 2023 SPLASH Holiday Programme

SPLASH originally started as a weeklong holiday programme and has has now been re-designed to to run in one day – a day filled with new learnings and water safety experiences.

During the school holidays, SPLASH took place at Mount Albert Aquatic Centre, offering two daylong programmes for around 30 children aged 8-10 and11-13 year olds. The programme covers many aspects around the water, with some of these being, lifejacket safety, boating safety, recognising, and assisting a drowning person and beach safety.

The children thoroughly enjoyed all of the activities with the highlights being the snorkelling and safer boating. The safer boating activity not only taught them what to do and what to wear when on a boat, but it also developed their teamwork and leadership skills.

The children really enjoyed the programme and left with a whole new set of skills. Many were keen to return for the next holidays!

v
“I learnt to bring a first aid kit and communications on a boat and to always tell someone where you are going”
v
“I liked the snorkelling, I learnt about how to snorkel especially how to use the mask and snorkel and I liked picking up the paua shells”

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Kāhui Ako Conference – ‘Together We Are Stronger!’ (Massey Schools Cluster)

Kāhui Ako Conference – ‘Together We Are Stronger!’ (Massey Schools Cluster)

The recent Kāhui Ako Conference for the Massey Schools Cluster brought together educators of all levels, from early childhood to secondary school for a day of connection and learning.

Held on the first day of term two, the event was a rare chance for teachers and school leaders to network, attend workshops on a range of educational topics as well as learn more about various education providers in attendance, including Drowning Prevention Auckland.

The DPA education team, Helen Meyrick and Lynley Stewart were heartened by the positive response from teachers who were interested to hear about the support available for aquatic education in schools.

Drowning Prevention Auckland offers free, tailored professional learning and development (PLD) within the education sector to assist schools in developing an aquatic education programme in line with the NZC (2007) expectations.

If you or your school would like to know more, please contact Lynley Stewart.

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How’s Your Workplace Water Competency?

How’s Your Workplace Water Competency?

Drowning Prevention Auckland partners with workplaces around Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland and further afield to offer their employees invaluable water safety training. Whether your organisation works directly or indirectly in a water-based environment, a Water Competency course will equip your people to be safer in, on and around the water.

Thirty-four percent of people drown when they have unintentionally entered in the water and 3% of bystander rescuers end up drowning. With the key learnings from the Developing Water Competency course, staff will be able to equip themselves with knowledge and skills to keep themselves safer around the water.

Josh Carmine, the DPA Educator running the workplace programmes, is a qualified paramedic, accomplished lifeguard and experienced instructor. He enjoys running fun and interactive sessions for organisations that wish to increase their people’s water competence.

“It is very rewarding to see groups thrive in controlled environments that challenge, encourage and enhance the skill levels of all who attend. It is always a real highlight to see those lightbulb moments as participants learn to understand hazards, recognise and assist people who are in difficulty in the water.” says Josh.

Covering a number of the 15 water competencies, including recognising and avoiding water hazards, floating, treading water, and bystander rescue techniques when in water or on land, the workplace water safety programmes are not only excellent for personal development but also an excellent team-building experience.

At the end of the one-day water competence programme, participants experience increased confidence in their own ability to respond to emergency situations in, on and around the water.

Benefits:
  • Fun and interactive learning tailored to the needs of your team
  • Fantastic team building experience
  • Learn more about the coastal environment
  • Learn how to keep yourself and others safer in and around the water
  • Learn essential skills for in water survival
  • Learn dry based rescue techniques
  • Improve general water competency and confidence
“I learnt an incredible amount of things from the knowledgeable instructor who even made a conscious and impressive effort to include te reo Māori into his presentations.”
“Fantastic instructor, he was able to cater for all skills and abilities and was able to relate the training to our workplace roles.”
“I really enjoyed the course, I took so much value from learning how to rescue someone from land as I am not the best swimmer myself.”

Would you like to find out more about our water competency courses for the workplace? Contact Josh Carmine ([email protected]) or explore options on our website.

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Realising Wai Ora Tāmaki Makaurau

Realising Wai Ora Tāmaki Makaurau

Realising Wai Ora Tāmaki Makaurau – Auckland’s Drowning Prevention and Water Safety Strategy
What are the top priorities?

A year and a half on from the first sector hui for Wai Ora Tāmaki Makaurau – Auckland’s Drowning Prevention and Water Safety Strategy, we bring you an update of what’s been happening recently. We look at what’s involved in the implementation phase and to the future.

What’s been happening?

It has been a busy two months with 33 stakeholder groups meeting on a one-to-one basis, to build relationships and uncover stakeholder perspectives of the strategy and future direction. Amongst the challenges and we found an overarching will to collaborate to ensure effectiveness and efficiency going forward.

The Steering Group meeting, held on the 21 March, endorsed the direction of the Strategy implementation work for the next five months, and this was reaffirmed by the Reference Group meeting held on the 23 March. Attendees voiced support for the four strategic strands and identified priority implementation initiatives for the short-term focus.

Six Priorities

The feedback provided clear direction on the priorities, with agreement on how to proceed in the short term, as follows:

  • Advocate through collective submissions
  • Refresh the Integrated Aquatic Programme (IAP)
  • Create team to craft generic messages designed to be overarching but unpack to sector specific messages.
  • Create team to seek existing communication networks and provide coordination/connection for the sector.
  • Create an independent WOTM fund holder and secretariat.
  • Expand members of Reference Group to improve capacity.
What’s next?

The first working group has been established to focus on the Integrated Aquatic Programme (IAP) – tasked to refresh, extend, and create an interactive resource for the benefit of the wider community.

Regular sector engagement will continue through weekly emails, face-to-face meetings, and the creation of specific working groups.
.

The inclusion of additional organisations beyond the wet sector is proposed for the future to support capacity and advocacy.

Look out for updates on the next working groups as the team continue sector engagement meetings and activities to progress these 6 priorities.

Save the dates
Working Group 1 Meeting

13 April, 8am – 9.30am @ DPA
Integrated Aquatic Programme

Meeting dates for additional working groups will be added in due course. It is envisaged organisations with specific interest of expertise will join respective working groups but is optional.

Reference Group Meetings

8am – 10am @ DPA

  • 27 April
  • 27 July
  • 21 September
  • October – pending
Want to know more?

There’s more information about Wai Ora Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland’s Water Safety and Drowning Prevention Strategy over on the dedicated webpage. Click the button to learn more.

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He Taonga Te Wai – Dawn Event WDPD 2023

He Taonga Te Wai – Dawn Event WDPD 2023

Drowning Prevention Auckland are pleased to invite you to our World Drowning Prevention Day dawn service - He Taonga Te Wai on 25 July. Supported by Te Ahiwaru Trust, the event acknowledges our close connection with water as we come together to remember the tragic...

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2022 Spring Forum Overview

2022 Spring Forum Overview

In September our Spring Forum brought together sector leaders, research, and industry experts to share and discuss some of the key findings arising from PRE research and related water safety projects.

Dr Kevin Moran, DPA set the scene around the problems and practices worldwide which highlighted some of the similar issues and procedures to New Zealand, whilst identifying considerations for solutions. He was clear on role of PRE during a rescue was to ‘interrupt the chain of survival and buy time’. He also provided findings and updates on behaviours of Rock-based fishers from data spanning back to 2011.

Dr Teresa Stanley, DPA and Dr Mick Kearney, SLSNZ shared the current findings from our collaborative PRE project funded by NZSAR. The project aims to produce national guidelines that helps coastal managers and emergency services make better-informed decisions about PRE requirements and educate on their use.

Dr Stanley shared the results from a trial of testing accuracy of throw for the various proposed PRE to see which would be best suited for various locations. Results showed that for the majority of the population, throwing efficiency of most PRE is very limited. Dr Kearney shared the research into the identified signage issues and researched options, including a case study from South Africa.

Ants Lowe discussed the findings from our freshwater hazard assessments (outlined above) and introduced Holly Foreman from Safeswim, Auckland Council to discuss the new pins and share further information about the WHO recognised platform. The platform allows people to check water safety and water quality before they swim with the number of sites around New Zealand (including beach and freshwater) continuing to grow.

Grief and healing the focus of World Drowning Prevention Day, with dawn memorial planned for Tāmaki Makaurau

Grief and healing the focus of World Drowning Prevention Day, with dawn memorial planned for Tāmaki Makaurau

MEDIA RELEASE | 21 July 2022

A very special commemoration to honour those who have lost their lives to drowning is planned for Monday 25 July 2022.

This event held at St Mary’s Bay, Tāmaki Makaurau, will provide healing for people who are grieving the loss of a special person in their lives. Rihari Wilson, who mourns the loss of his father and brother to drowning will speak on behalf of grieving families and raise awareness of the importance of water safety education so people can enjoy the water safely.

In the evening, the Sky Tower will light up blue as other nations across the world commence their tributes.

Drowning Prevention Auckland says this is a sad but important day for those families in Aotearoa and globally who have lost loved ones through drowning. But it is also a day of hope. In New Zealand, drownings are largely preventable and water safety education is the key to improving people’s knowledge, attitudes and behaviour around water.

“The water safety sector in New Zealand is united as one voice to raise awareness that anyone can drown, no one should”, says Drowning Prevention Auckland chief executive, Nicola Keen-Biggelaar.

“This year alone, since New Year’s Day, 10 people have drowned in the Auckland region. In the last five years, drowning took the lives of 85 people locally (2017 – 2021)*. All 85 deaths were preventable leaving 85 families devastated.

“With warmer water this past summer, we’ve noticed more people visiting beaches, going out on boats, playing on new toys like paddleboards and kayaks. Yet we also saw more people get into strife and overestimate their current level of fitness or be willing to take more risks after going through extended lockdowns.”

Auckland Councillor and Parks, Arts, Community and Events Chairperson Alf Filipaina says that the impact of drowning deaths on the community really brings home the need to mark this day: “Too many people lose their lives through drowning. Communities are fractured with the loss of loved ones. This day remembers but also highlights we must do all we can to prevent families and communities losing their whānau and friends.”

Drowning affects every nation of the world. In New Zealand, the drowning rate is disproportionately high compared to other OECD countries.

In April 2021, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the first ever Resolution on drowning prevention, acknowledging the issue for the first time in its 75-year history. New Zealand, along with over 80 countries worldwide, including Australia and some Pacific Nations, co-sponsored this historic resolution, which was initiated by Bangladesh and Ireland.

“Drowning is a preventable public health problem. As an organisation dedicated to saving lives in, on and around water, Drowning Prevention Auckland takes positive and practical action to promote and teach people water safety skills to help keep Kiwis safe around water”, says Keen-Biggelaar.

Drowning Prevention Auckland is one of Tāmaki Makaurau’s lead water safety education providers delivering water safety education and rescue training into the community and digitally through their free online education portal. Their drowning prevention strategies and education programmes are reaching into diverse communities, and across preschools and schools to teach people to enjoy the water safely.

Keen-Biggelaar is thrilled to have the collective support of members of the water safety sector and the public attend the commemorations at St Mary’s Bay at dawn (7am) on 25 July.

“This acknowledges the important work we are all doing to promote and deliver life saving education so families can celebrate their water experiences.” says Keen- Biggelaar.

*Auckland Region and New Zealand drowning Preventable deaths 1 Jan 2017 – 31 Dec 2021 Report. (Water Safety New Zealand).

Photo credit: The Hui (Newshub)