Educating, Collaborating and Advocating

Educating, Collaborating and Advocating

This blog explores some of the recent activity that our team has enjoyed delivering. Read the story of how Arohanui School has integrated water safety into their learning and the important water competencies that international university students enjoyed developing. Hear about recent advocacy in front of the Auckland Council Ethnic Peoples Advisory Panel and our collaboration with Surf Life Saving NZ to present inland and coastal safety initiatives to councils across the country.

Read on for the full stories…

Water safety for international students

This August another cohort of international students at the University of Auckland completed a three part water safety programme.

Launched by the Wai Ora Tāmaki Makaurau strategy, the programme covers the essential knowledge and skills needed to prepare for a life in Aotearoa New Zealand where water is around ever corner. Unfamiliar with our beautiful but challenging aquatic locations, it is essential the students are prepared before they head out to explore.

Drowning Prevention Auckland, Coastguard Tautiaki Moana and Surf Life Saving New Zealand work together to teach the programme. Starting at orientation with an introduction to the NZ Water Safety Code, students then sign up for a practical workshop session. The DPA workshop focuses on identifying hazards and understanding how and why we need to Float first. The final part of the programme puts the learning into practice with a beach visit and trip to the pool. It is here the students develop key water competencies and practice Float first along with lifejacket experiences.

Please email [email protected] if you are interested in finding out more about the water safety programme for international students.

SuperLocal Conference 2024

Josh Carmine (DPA) and Pat Millar from Surf Life Saving New Zealand presented as keynote speakers at the SuperLocal 2024 conference. During the three day event they presented to thinkers and doers from local government about Inland and Coastal hazard assessments to enable communities to build environmental resilience. Their presentation – ‘Enabling Communities to Prevent Drowning’ provided community board members with a comprehensive understanding of hazards, risks and recommendations to improve water safety in their communities through the implementation of evidence-based best practices including the four proposed steps: 1. Hazard Assessments; 2. Preventative Measures; 3. Behavioural Research; 4. Risk Assessments.

Drowning Prevention Auckland/Aotearoa also had an interactive stand at the conference where attendees could find out more about the lifesaving initiatives that both organisations offer to keep members of the public safer in, on and around the water. For more information on our inland water safety initiaive contact Josh Carmine: [email protected].

Attendance at Auckland Council Ethnic Peoples Advisory Panel

Supported by DPA Board Member Ireen Rahiman-Manuel and Chief Executive Nicola Keen-Biggelaar, DPA Advisor Madison Chang was invited to attend the open meeting of the Auckland Council Ethnic Peoples Advisory Panel in August to share water safety messages with the Panel, as well as the Minister Hon Melissa Lee. After hearing Madison speak, the Minister requested that Drowning Prevention Auckland write to her office requesting assistance. Minister Lee believes swimming is a lifesaving and vital technique contributing to water competency.

It’s all in the name: Arohanui really is a special school

Arohanui School and Specialist Outreach Service is a school for children and young adults with special needs and intellectual disabilities. They cover most of the West Auckland area, providing learning opportunities and therapy services for the students in their care.

In early 2024, Drowning Prevention Auckland began working with the school with an initial teacher workshop upskilling all teachers on the 15 Water Competencies for Drowning Prevention. Since then, Drowning Prevention Auckland educators have supported teachers in Arohanui School’s various learning units enabling students to learn about and improve their skills in aquatic education.

Arohanui’s learning unit at Hobsonville Point Secondary School has implemented this learning in both the classroom and the pool.

“We are surrounded by water so it’s very important to learn these skills,” says Arohanui teacher Kyla Moore.

“Most of our students love water. We also have a student whose mum nearly drowned a few years back, he followed a blow up ball that blew into the water and then his mum went in to save him. They both nearly drowned, and the mum was in hospital for a few days, so we know how important these skills are.”

Kyla and her team have been very pro-active with in-class water safety lessons using Drowning Prevention Auckland resources as well as regular pool sessions at Albany Stadium Pool, with support from DPA educators.

“Our students are more confident in the water. Some couldn’t float and now they can or at least they’re willing to try to float and put their head under water,” Kyla says.

If you are a special needs school who would like your students to learn about drowning prevention, please contact Helen Meyrick: [email protected].

Other news

Activating water safety in the community

Activating water safety in the community

Over the past month, Drowning Prevention Auckland has actively promoted water safety education to people of all ages and experiences across a variety of settings. Highlights include the Wai Wise workshop for Asian and Pasifika communities, lifeguard training at Mt...

School adds water safety into outdoor education

School adds water safety into outdoor education

Education Outside the Classroom (EOTC) provides the perfect opportunity for students to develop aquatic competencies. Bringing learning to life and finding out first-hand how to stay safer in, on and around the water. Drowning Prevention Auckland (DPA) works with...

Educating, Collaborating and Advocating

Educating, Collaborating and Advocating

This blog explores some of the recent activity that our team has enjoyed delivering. Read the story of how Arohanui School has integrated water safety into their learning and the important water competencies that international university students enjoyed developing....

eLearning certificates now available

eLearning certificates now available

We’re excited to announce that certificates are now available for online water safety modules on the DPA eLearning platform! Since 2018 DPA has offered online modules to help people learn how to keep themselves and their loved ones safer in and around water. Now you...

Promoting the Aquatic Employment Pathway

Promoting the Aquatic Employment Pathway

Unleash your potential… ride the waves of employment with us!

The DPA team was amongst the thousands at the ASB PolyFest over the past week, playing a support role for the Wai ora Tāmaki Makaurau promotional booth, addressing the employment journeys within the aquatic sector. The message was: “Unleash your potential… ride the waves of employment with us!

Over the past ten years, one third of those who drown in our Auckland region are Māori and Pacific young people yet very few Māori or Pacific peoples are employed in the aquatic sector, limiting the design, direction, and delivery of successful water safety initiatives.

Using a basketball activity with the primary message displayed on the backboard, and a booth highlighting career pathways, QR quotes for further information, and a collection of safety items displayed (see photos), this message was shared with youth and whānau over the four days.

Youth touch points: It was estimated over 900 youth and whānau were engaged per day (based on the average of 1 successful shooter to 5 non-successful shooters) totalling approximately 3,600 youth and family members.

Networking touch points: Seven co-exhibitors showed interest in discussing future partnerships to support youth and employment opportunities.

WOTM Stakeholder engagement: Financial contributions were received from DPA, Surf Life Saving NZ (SLSNZ) and Fyfod; Prize pack contributions from Swimsation, SLSNZ, CLM, Auckland Council, Vector Wero and Maritime NZ; and people power contributions for the booth roster included: DPA, Auckland Council, Coastguard Boating Education, SLSN, SafeKids, and MassSport.

Other news

Activating water safety in the community

Activating water safety in the community

Over the past month, Drowning Prevention Auckland has actively promoted water safety education to people of all ages and experiences across a variety of settings. Highlights include the Wai Wise workshop for Asian and Pasifika communities, lifeguard training at Mt...

School adds water safety into outdoor education

School adds water safety into outdoor education

Education Outside the Classroom (EOTC) provides the perfect opportunity for students to develop aquatic competencies. Bringing learning to life and finding out first-hand how to stay safer in, on and around the water. Drowning Prevention Auckland (DPA) works with...

Educating, Collaborating and Advocating

Educating, Collaborating and Advocating

This blog explores some of the recent activity that our team has enjoyed delivering. Read the story of how Arohanui School has integrated water safety into their learning and the important water competencies that international university students enjoyed developing....

eLearning certificates now available

eLearning certificates now available

We’re excited to announce that certificates are now available for online water safety modules on the DPA eLearning platform! Since 2018 DPA has offered online modules to help people learn how to keep themselves and their loved ones safer in and around water. Now you...

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.
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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.

More news and views

eLearning certificates now available

eLearning certificates now available

We’re excited to announce that certificates are now available for online water safety modules on the DPA eLearning platform! Since 2018 DPA has offered online modules to help people learn how to keep themselves and their loved ones safer in and around water. Now you...